Endurance
by SWFicWriters
Summary: Sequel to 'Patience'. Fourteen-year-old Kaden Lightbane is a padawan to the blind Hrakian Jedi Master Drex Zaryth. On their first off-planet mission, Kaden will face many challenges that his master will guide him through. Warning: This story contains frequent spanking scenes and occasional coarse language. We do not endorse the spanking of real children. Obviously, this is fiction.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: "Endurance" is the fourth story in our Drex and Kaden saga. The first is called: "A Padawan, a Master and a Matchmaker." The second, "The Generation Gap," and the third, "Patience." All of them can be found in our author profile.

Although it might be a better reading experience if you have read our prequels, it is not critical as each story can stand alone. We'd like to thank all of those who have given us feedback and stayed with us. We hope you're going to enjoy this one as well. Like its prequels, this story emerged from online role-playing, so it involves alternating points of view that we will edit into story format. It contains some coarse language, and many scenes of discipline, including – sometimes severe – spanking of a non-sexual nature, meted out by adults to children. If this bothers you, don't read it. Very simple. We're neither intending this to be parenting advice literature nor a realistic description of childhood; it's fiction, and a type of fiction we happen to enjoy writing and hope some of you enjoy reading.

* * *

 **Chapter One.**

It was late on a Thursday afternoon when fourteen-year-old Kaden Lightbane entered their quarters after having spent the evening at the padawans' lounge. "I'm back," he called as he always did, offering a curt nod of his head, the gesture no doubt lost on his blind Hrakian master. He had been apprenticed to Drex Zaryth for well over a year now and had made progress, morphing from a boy of few words, serious aggression issues and little control over his emotions to a being who was far more at peace with both himself and his role. Still, the teen was far from perfect. He often felt frustration over the restrictions Drex imposed on his training, not to mention the fact that he was fourteen-and-a-half years old and had yet to build his own lightsaber.

The latter was a cause of constant contention between the two, especially so after Kaden had returned from a mission preparation class to Manchana a few months ago where he had met the much younger Karn. He and Karn had gotten along well, the quiet-natured Zabrak boy's demeanour meshing well with Kaden's equally quiet side. Karn, at only twelve years of age, had already built his own lightsaber. The two had been caught swapping weapons during the very end of said mission by none other than Eeth Koth. Both boys had their asses well and truly handed to them that afternoon, Kaden again when he returned to the Temple. Apparently, Karn had not fared much better, but as this was a first offence, he had not been completely hauled over the coals. Kaden, on the other hand, had so many weapon infractions up his sleeve that he had known exactly what to expect should he be caught, and it was only the hope that he wouldn't actually get caught that had him accepting the saber that day.

Thankfully for him, the measures Drex put in place to help him deal with his frustrations worked well for the most part. Meditations kept him from bottling up his emotions, as did the time Drex spent coaching him both physically and mentally, always urging him to achieve more without pushing too hard. Then there were the consequences of disobedience… Yeah. At fourteen years of age, the boy stood 175cm tall and was as solid as a stone shithouse. Not that this ever stopped his master from upending him over his lap when he deserved it, much to Kaden's horror. Luckily for him, it had been over a month since his last encounter of that kind, and it had been mild as such things went, meaning that no hairbrush, paddle or, Force help him, tawse had made an appearance.

Yawning, he crashed into the sofa and began pulling off his boots. "Did you hear back from the Council about that mission? Are we going?" he asked Drex, tossing off first one boot and then the other before levitating them to sit neatly by the door next to Drex's. Everything from the tea canister to their toothbrushes had a place in their quarters. It had to, lest life for his blind master become tiresome. Kaden didn't know anything about the mission, just that they might be going on one and to make sure he was packed in case. He was, of course, curious about where they'd be going and what they'd be doing, but so far had managed to restrict his questions to the basics. After all, they might not be going at all.

Drex raised his hand in a bid for Kaden to wait and be silent; he was listening to a message on the com and had not quite finished. Kaden could not have known this; the earplugs all but disappeared under his mane of hair.

About twenty seconds later, he was done, put down his headphones and smiled at Kaden.

"I suppose so," he said. "Judging from the fact that we are required to attend a meeting tomorrow morning, we will almost certainly be going somewhere. I would wager it's the mission I have applied for. Do you want to know details?"

Drex had not taken Kaden on any missions so far, at least not ones that would have taken them away from Coruscant. He had always believed it would be better to take his time with such things and give his padawans a proper understanding of life on Coruscant before taking them out into the galaxy. They had explored the city planet a lot and had taken part in quite a number of Senate functions. However, Drex made a point of not torturing his padawans with diplomatic functions and boring conferences during their very first off-planet missions. Unlike many other masters, he waited with such things until his padawans were older, more mature and had more knowledge of politics. The problem was that few of the more action-packed missions were suitable for junior padawans. Drex had been waiting for a while to find one that matched his expectations. Consequently, he had seized the opportunity when a rather interesting mission that had been long planned was suddenly one mission team short due to an unexpected illness. Upon hearing this, Drex had immediately volunteered their services. The Council had taken a while to deliberate whether Kaden was old enough for this, but apparently, they had come to a favourable decision.

"Yes, I want to know the details!" Kaden said in a tone that suggested Drex might very well have lost his mind asking such a thing. He doubted it was going to be anything political. Drex had explained a while ago that he preferred to wait until he was older for such missions, and his reasons for that decision. Naturally, this went over well with Kaden who, much like many of the temples young teenagers, could think of better ways to spend his time on missions than sitting in a conference hall. He had gone to a full senate meeting on legislations when they had teamed up with Eeth Koth and his padawan Raven for a short while. To say that it had been horrifyingly boring would be a gross understatement. Kaden and Raven had both gotten into trouble thanks to their lack of self-discipline, himself more so than Raven.

"I thought so," Drex said, amused. "Sit down, then."

He motioned towards the chair opposite and waited for Kaden to comply.

The boy sat where bade and met Drex with an expectant expression.

"Tnangan-at-Val," Drex began, "is a small planet in an isolated system between the Mid-Rim and the Outer Rim. It has been known for a while, but has been left alone since its population is fairly primitive, never having developed interstellar space travel. The planet has few natural resources, so there has never been an interest in conquering it either. However, one of the planet's peoples has made a big technological leap in past decades and has developed space technology. This has brought them into contact with the Republic. Whether this contact is desirable seems to be a point of contention among the peoples of the planet, though. The Jedi's interest lies in the fact that the population produces a fair number of Force-sensitives; in that regard, their species is similar to Zabrak and humans. So far, they have no formal way of training these people, or at least most of the cultures on this planet don't, especially the more technologically developed ones. Many from among the political leaders recognise that this might be a problem because occasionally, Force-sensitives turn to the Dark Side and cause havoc. The Jedi have therefore obtained the consent of at least some regional governments to send teams that are supposed to conduct research and negotiate potential solutions. We need several teams because the planet's population is fairly big, spread across several continents and, above all, rather diverse, even divided. The mission has been planned for a long time, of course, and the teams that are supposed to take part in it have been assigned weeks ago. But since one of the masters fell ill this week, there was an opening and I volunteered for it. From the fact that we have been invited to a meeting tomorrow morning, I deduce that my request has been granted. That is all I know at this point."

Scenes of red lightsabers clashing with his own pastel blade whilst dangling over lava pits immediately sprang to Kaden's mind, closely followed by several other scenarios that might be possible on a planet with any number of primitive, untrained dark Jedi running around. Perhaps they were remaining hidden from the main populace until their plans of planetary domination could be actioned? The possibilities were endless, at least in Kade's mind because his imagination had momentarily gone crazy. This probably would have made his master laugh or in the very least roll his eyes, had he been privy to it. As it was, the boy kept such thoughts to himself and tried to concentrate on the more feasible scenario Drex was suggesting. "Do they speak Basic on Tnangan-at-Val?" he asked, keeping any mention of chasing down rogue Sith from his comments. He wasn't sure if Drex would know this yet or if they'd have to wait to find out.

If Drex had been privy to Kaden's thoughts, he would have laughed indeed. From what little he knew about Tnangan-at-Val, there were currently no Force-sensitives turned Dark around. Those did not tend to live long unless properly trained. And even if there were, they certainly did not have lightsabers, nor was there an overabundance of lava pits on the planet.

"No, unfortunately not," said Drex. "And the whole thing is made more complex by the fact that the planet has thousands of languages, not just one. I suspect we will take protocol droids. The most recent models know the planet's major twelve languages or so, at least, from what I could find in the archives. We might also use the trip to learn the basics of one of those, but that will probably not get us far beyond polite greetings. I cannot tell you much more than that; we'll have to wait for the meeting tomorrow to see what our exact task is and who the other teams are."

"Thousands of languages… Great, that will make communicating with the locals interesting. So, as far as we know, our job is to look around the planet and find Force-sensitives. Sounds easy enough. What are we meant to do with the ones that are too old? What if they turn to the Dark Side?" Kaden had no idea what the temple did, if anything? with older Force-sensitives that they came across in their dealings.

"We will learn more tomorrow," Drex said patiently. "But from what I gathered, it's not our job to look for individual Force sensitive beings as much as to find out how various cultures deal with them and to negotiate with local authorities about the option to take them to the Temple for training. If this planet is anything like other worlds that have no way of training Force sensitives, those who do occur - and these would be relatively rare cases - will mostly not develop their abilities to any great extent. Those who do might be considered disturbing by others and end up in a mental asylum or, if they act on their aggressions and hurt or kill others, will be killed themselves in the end. This is only guesswork, though. There is no point in pursuing speculations based on what little we know. We will learn more tomorrow. You will be excused from classes; the meeting starts at nine."

A mental asylum!? Drex's comments set the boy wondering. But it was short-lived. At fourteen years of age, he was still a little egocentric; thus, his attention quickly shifted to the parts that affected him personally. "That's the best news I've heard all day. Does that mean I don't have to do my homework? Oh, wait, please tell me I don't have to take it with me?" he asked, his tone just on the plus side of hopeful. Kaden didn't care much for classes. He did them, of course, and passed well enough, but he was neither outstanding nor lacking.

"It does not mean anything of that kind," said Drex mildly. "You will do your homework and you will receive classwork from your teachers to work on during our trip. While we're on the planet, we might not have time for much of the sort, but we'll spend at least two weeks on a spaceship, and there is no reason to miss out on school work during that time. Besides, we don't know when we're going to leave yet. It might be as late as some time next week, until which point you will still go to school. Come on, get it over with."

"The Jedi Order can be such a drag sometimes," Kade huffed.

Five minutes later the boy had his homework out and was working away quietly at their kitchen table, munching on some leftovers that he'd shoved into a sandwich. It wasn't the best food combination but, meh, it was edible. At least he hoped it was…

That evening, Drex took him to the gym for a workout. Most of the time they focused on Soresu, but given that they were about to go on a mission, Kaden had high hopes that tonight would be different. He fingered at the hilt of his weapon as they entered the gym, his feelings inadvertently telegraphing through their bond. "Sooo," he hedged, circling the man and moving to stand in front of him. "Two weeks on a spaceship. That's a long time." He pulled his saber from his belt and swung it in a circle. "What are the chances that we can, you know, blow off the cobwebs and practice some Ataru?"

"None whatsoever," Drex said solemnly. "At least not on our way there. I hope there will be no need for attacking anyone and, therefore, no need for Ataru. More importantly, I do want you to be in the right frame of mind for such a mission. If you behave yourself, I might loosen up your restrictions after the mission has been successfully completed."

The teen blew out a long, pained sigh. He had expected as much but that didn't mean he had to like it, and like it he did not. "Behave? I always behave." Although that comment was a bit of a stretch, it had not been completely false. Kaden rarely had problems obeying his master over things that were not related to his use of a weapon, patience and controlling his emotions. One such issue was asking to build his lightsaber. He had asked several times since his mission preparation class on Manchana to build his own saber, each time getting the same frustrating response, being: 'No'.

Thankfully for all involved Kaden had learnt the hard way that sarcasm, defiance and complaining over the way Drex ordered his training always ended quickly and painfully. The last couple of times he had bucked the man over this, he had been hauled to the bench and walloped within an inch of his life! (or so he would tell you), after which he had spent the session doing muscle building exercises. He had only made that mistake twice. Not again.

As a matter of fact, Drex was contemplating letting Kaden build his lightsaber after the completion of this mission – if, again, the boy behaved himself. And that remained to be seen. For now, he focussed on providing Kaden with a thorough workout.

By the time they were done, Kade was glad for the reprieve stopping provided. His strength and endurance had improved considerably since becoming an apprentice. Drex might be old but that didn't make him any less capable when it came to the intensity and effectiveness of his training.

* * *

The next morning Drex and Kaden entered a meeting room where six other persons were already waiting. Two were senior Jedi masters, a male Iktotchi and a female human. The other four were master-padawan teams, one consisting of a teenage male Chalactan and a fairly young female Zabrak master and the other one consisting of a male Ithorian who looked about old enough to be knighted and his middle-aged male human master.

They made introductions; Drex knew most of them already, except for the Chalactan padawan, but of course the same was not true for Kaden. The senior masters were Naee Tiis and Devra Macken. The Chalactan padawan was Brill and his Zabrak master was Triz Vandab; the Ithorian senior padawan was Angkat Badd and his human master was called Hennar Gale.

There wasn't a single person in the room whom Kaden recognised. He knew there were ten of them going all up, so that two were still missing when they entered meant that they had not been last to arrive which, for reasons he couldn't explain, made him relax a little more.

Since this was his very first mission the boy had no idea what to expect, not that he was showing any signs of feeling like a fish out of water. In fact, he followed his masters lead flawlessly as the introductions were made and quietly listened.

While they were taking seats, a fourth pair came hurrying in: an irritated-looking female Twi'lek master with soft green skin followed by a slightly subdued-looking female human padawan who was not much older than Kaden. Nafanda's skin was jet-black; her hair was done in a multitude of braids that were flopping behind her, and she was broad-shouldered and sturdy.

"My apologies," said her master. "We were… delayed a little."

Kaden nodded in greeting. From the fact that the Twi'lek master looked slightly irritated and her darkly skinned human apprentice, sheepish, his mind drew a logical conclusion that turned out to be quite different from the actual reason they were late.

"It was my fault," Nafanda admitted. "I toppled over the milk jug and both of us had to get changed."

She dropped into a chair next to Kaden and told him in a stage whisper: "I'm dead clumsy."

The Twi'lek gave her a half-stern, half-exasperated look and introduced herself as Eleena Vao; her padawan was called Nafanda K'Nama.

Clumsy? Kade knew a few apprentices like that; Obi-Wan Kenobi was one that came to mind. The boy was a senior padawan now and hardly ever in the Temple, but his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, was almost as famous as his own, if for different reasons.

Naee Tiis rapped his knuckles onto the table startly and everyone immediately turned to him and Devra Macken, those two quite obviously acting as the heads of this mission.

"I'll start with the most important practical information," said Devra. "We'll be leaving on Sunday at 10 am. Please pack full mission gear and clothing for all climates. We might travel in ice-cold, temperate and hot regions, as well as in dry and humid ones. All our mission will take place above-ground. The planet does not have intelligent underwater life; as you can see, our mission team has been assembled accordingly, with no Ishi Tib or Mon Calamari involved. All of you will receive mission preparation files with all the available information on the planet that we currently possess. You may use them to prepare yourselves today and tomorrow; we will have time for further preparation during our trip. Any questions so far?"

"Yes, what's the food like?" Nafanda asked cheekily and immediately.

Her master rolled her eyes and gave her a light cuff to the back of her head.

"That information," Naee Tiis said solemnly, but with a slight twinkle in his eye, "is in your mission preparation file. In short, the food on the planet is as diverse as its peoples and climates."

Kaden grinned widely at Nafanda's contribution because he was thinking exactly the same thing himself; being a fourteen-year-old boy who was growing up faster than he could fill out, food was of the utmost importance!

"Diverse is good if you have an iron stomach, not that I won't give anything a try," he commented bravely. This was mostly talk since, after their disastrous trip to Anchanang where he had drunk X'Atlix, Kaden didn't think he really would try anything. Force, he had been so sick that he had thought he would never be the same again. It also had the side effect of permanently curing the boy of is curiosity regarding alcohol; he didn't care if his peers experimented, he wasn't touching the stuff for as long as he lived. It had been an exciting adventure getting to Anchanang, though! They'd had to take the XG line to Coruscant's larges transport hub, from which they had to locate level 139 and buy tickets on the shuttle to Demisset. From there, they again needed to negotiate an incredibly crowded station and find the ticket station and correct shuttle to take them into Anchanang. They had travelled through levels of the city that were so old that they had actually become solid. It had been fascinating.

For a moment, Kaden looked as though he was a million light years away as the memories of that trip consumed his thoughts, only to be brought back to the present by Brill, the young Chalactan teen. "I assume once we split up, we'll be taking all sorts of different transports and won't have the services of the protocol droids to help with language. Do you have any idea how many different languages are spoken on Tnangan-at-Val?"

"And," Kaden added, "whether or not they have any unusual customs like, I don't know, shoes are offensive or talking on a weekday between the hours of 1400-1415 is considered an insult."

"Speaking of offense, do we know anything about their religious beliefs?" This from Angkat Badd, the Ithorian padawan who looked as if he were the oldest apprentice.

Naee Tiis raised his hand in a bid not to ask more than one question at a time.

"There is only one spaceport," he said. "The one in Mashen, which is where we will land. After that, yes, we will have to use various kinds of terrestrial transport and we will take the protocol droids, of course, else there would be no hope of communicating. There is only a handful of people on the planet who speak Basic, and 90% of those are based in Mashen. There are several thousand languages currently spoken on Tnangan-at-Val. We will not need all of those, since some of them only have small communities of speakers and those usually know at least one of the more widespread languages, too; but we will need several languages in any case. The protocol droids have been programmed to speak those."

"The religious beliefs on Tnangan-at-Val," said Devra Macken, "are as diverse as its languages. What is holy to some peoples is sacrilegious to others. There are also peoples who are hardly religious at all. You have to keep in mind that this is a planet that has only recently entered space travel. For the most part, they still rely on slow means of transport which means that there has been no time for differences between continents and regions to have evened out. We do not nearly have sufficient information on most of the cultures on Tnangan-at-Val to give you much to go by. The good news is that the planet is technologically advanced enough to have experienced a certain degree of globalisation, which means that, while cultures are diverse, people are generally used to strangers who are unfamiliar with their particular ways. Most people will recognise you as strangers and be tolerant with you."

"One thing that you need to be aware of, however," added Naee Tiis, "is that there is at least one major culture, the Ha'en-Shin, that is relatively isolationist and pacifist. They are the most populous and the most technologically advanced, which makes it possible for them to sustain this way of life. Their capital is Mashen which is where we will go first. Details about them are in your mission files and it is particularly important for us to peruse them. Acts that are perceived as aggressive are punished strongly. Whoever kills another person is subject to the death penalty. No exceptions, not even for cases of self-defense."

They all listened as their questions were answered, but it was Triz, the young Zabrak master who spoke next. "Some pacifists can be downright 'un-passive' when you rub them the wrong way. Best we be careful here," she said, earning herself a nod from Devra.

"Isolationist, oh great," Kaden mumbled sarcastically, but otherwise did not comment on what was being said. He did not have enough experience to be of much use here.

"There is really not much that we can tell you that is not in your mission files," said Devra. "What all of us really need to learn, however, is who we are going to be working with. It would be good if each of you could tell us a bit about your level of experience and areas of particular expertise - or restrictions, of course. This might be obvious to some of us, but it would help if we were all on the same level here."

Her eyes fell on Kaden.

"You are the youngest, I think," she said with a smile. "Why don't you start?"

"I'm the youngest," Kaden agreed, knowing that he wouldn't have much to offer in the way of experience, "so shouldn't that mean I get to go last?"

Drex nudged him firmly with his elbow, coupled with a surge of disapproval through their bond, which had the boy on his feet within seconds.

"Alright," he acquiesced. "I haven't been on an official off-planet mission yet, but I did attend a mission prep class on Manchana and have seen a bit of Coruscant. I've been to quite a number of Senate sessions. The last one was to debate Yamett's bid for membership with the republic. Before that, I was teamed up with Eeth Koth and his apprentice for a little while to investigate the illegal weapons trade. That was mainly in the Tchennik sector, although we did also attend a Senate session on weapons legislation during that investigation. Then there was a trip to Anchanang as well as a handful of other places around Coruscant," he explained, and had to admit that in stating all of that it did sound more impressive than what many of his padawan friends had to offer. He wasn't sure what to say about restrictions; he really didn't want to bring up the fact that he wasn't allowed to spar or perform Ataru without permission, or that he had yet to build his lightsaber. He cleared his throat and glanced at Drex. Sure, the man couldn't see him but it was clear he was about to sit down unless he was prompted to say more.

"My padawan is very able with a saber," Drex added because this was relevant information. However, he did not want to embarrass Kaden unduly by spelling out his restrictions, so he simply added: "Still, given the relative small amount of experience he has and the fact that he has not built his own saber yet, it might be better to leave tasks that might involve fighting – in case those ever arise – to others."

Kaden swelled with pride at Drex's compliment, only to shrink down at hearing the fighting would most likely be left to the others. That grated on the boy, it really did, but he hid it well.

"Thank you," said Naee Tiis drily. "Nafanda, what about you?"

Nafanda got to her feet.

"Well, I have built my lightsaber and I think I'm decent with it," she said, "but as far as I understood, this mission is not so much about fighting. So… What else? I have been on a few missions and my master tells me I'm a good observer of cultural habits and the like. I'm interested in that stuff, too. Ummm… One thing I'm not that good at is knowing when to keep my mouth shut, I guess. I've been told I need some practice at that."

She shot her master a cheeky grin. Eleena pursed her lips in response; their senses of humour matched, which was a blessing, she knew.

The Twi'lek agreed with her apprentice's contribution and inclined her head almost imperceptibly as the girl sat down. "Right. I believe Nafanda will do well with the anthropology and ethnographic areas of this mission, especially when no homework will be assigned." Herself, Eleena was particularly good with Force suggestions.

The Chalactan padawan stood next, offering the room a tiny bow. "I have been on one mission before this one. It was to moderate the annual hyperspace communications frequencies conference last year on Borleias. It wasn't the most energetic of missions but interesting all the same. I've concentrated on mission prep classes since then, mainly stuff like diplomacy, first aid, astrophysics, interstellar communications and a few hand to hand combat. I really liked the hand to hand classes, although I'm not that great with a lightsaber and I," he lowered his gaze but only for a second, "I lose my temper easily," the latter was added with a slight smile as he sat down.

"I am relatively new to my role as Brill's master," Triz supplemented. "I was knighted two years ago." She looked to Brill briefly and smiled. "The Force drew me to Brill barely a month after this. We have been learning together. My strengths are in engineering and mechanics, weaknesses being that I am young, and don't have a lot of experience as a field Jedi yet."

Kaden glanced at the Chalactan. They were about the same height, and he was clearly muscular but he couldn't weigh more than 50kg soaking wet! Well, size mattered not.

The introductions continued. Angkat and Hennar were united by a common gift for stealth and Force-aided concealment. Hennar was currently hardly able to use a saber after a neurological disease had disabled his right arm. Naee was an accomplished healer, and Devra was very good and experienced at working with animals. Finally, Drex, being the oldest, introduced himself as experienced in all activities of a field knight with a special focus on diplomacy, his obvious disadvantage being his blindness which could be a hindrance in unknown surroundings.

"Therefore, I would prefer it if I was not separated from my padawan unless absolutely necessary," said Drex. "I do get by without a second person, but most things go faster when one is with me, and my padawan and I work well together."

"Of course," Devra said in response to Drex's request. "Is there anything else of importance you would like to know before we call this meeting to an end?" she asked, glancing around the room at each of them.

"Yes, how long are we gonna stay?" asked Nafanda, hoping secretly that it was long enough to miss the hand-to-hand class her master was going to make her do. She was quite definitely better with a saber than she was fighting with her hands, and besides, Master Rool was known to be one strict bastard.

"For the moment, a stay of eight weeks is scheduled," said Naee. "That will give us enough time to visit the major populations and establish contacts with a few other governments. It appears that they all have embassies in each other's territories. However, depending on how the mission goes, we might extend it. Hopefully, we will not have to cut it short but we would if there was an emergency. Does that about answer your question?"

"Yes, thank you," said Nafanda politely.

As they all left the room, she gave Kaden a grin. "Did they threaten you with school work during our trip, too?" she asked.

"Yeah. Sucks to be us," Kade replied. "But it has to be better than sitting in a classroom. I guess we'll find out. Have you been on a spaceship for a week before?" he asked curiously. He was hoping that perhaps the girl could shed some light on the experience from a padawan's point of view.

Nafanda shook her head, making her braids fly.

"No," she said. "I've been on... let's see... four off-planet missions so far. The longest trip I had was four and a half days, which sucked. But then, I was alone with my master during that trip."

She gave her master an apologetic look. "Sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded," she said a little sheepishly. "It's just... I was studying a lot and it was... not THAT thrilling. This time at least, there will be other padawans around."

"Who will also have to study," Drex interjected with a grin. "But we get your meaning. Masters can be boring."

"Yes, I remember feeling the same," Eleena said, aiming a knowing look at the older master who was wearing a similar expression himself.

"A week's a long time to be studying, I'm sure we'll get to do other things, too, right?" Kaden looked from Eleena to Drex. His tone had sounded hopeful and his expression was the same.

"Sure you will. A lot will depend on the sort of ship we are assigned. Some are more impressive than others," Eleena said.

"I think it will be a reasonably large ship," said Drex. "We are ten persons, after all. We will be sure to create opportunities for workouts and the like; we will spend time on mission preparation, and there will also be time for you to socialise, play hologames or whatever it is you enjoy doing. It will not be such an ordeal; after all, the two of you and Brill are roughly the same age."

Nafanda and Brill were a tad older than Kaden, to be exact, but not much. Nafanda beckoned Kaden away from their masters for a moment and whispered into his ear: "I know Brill from class. He's a bore. And if ever we get into trouble, he'll tell tales. Be warned."

"Thanks, I'll remember that," Kaden whispered back, but did not say anymore on that; Drex's hearing was impeccable thanks to his lack of sight. It never ceased to amaze the boy what that man could hear!

"Is your master very strict?" he asked curiously, keeping his voice low but not at a whisper. She didn't look all that terrifying, but then again, looks could be deceiving. One look at the seemingly innocuous, elderly Drex was a case in point.

Nafanda shrugged.

"She's pretty cool about most stuff," she said in a low voice. "And in the beginning she was pretty cool about the bigger stuff as well. That was until her former master had a talk with her because I kept getting into trouble in classes about making smart remarks that my teachers found insolent; and I was not all that diligent either. Unfortunately for me, she really learned to put her foot down with such things. How about yours?"

Kaden listened with interest, occasionally glancing over at the woman in question but not making it obvious. She really did seem pretty cool, but he guessed he'd find out soon enough. "Yeah, Drex can be a real hardass about certain things; my lightsaber being the main one. You see, he practices Soresu and I love to fight Ataru. We clash sometimes. That said, he can also be pretty cool. He's taken me all over Coruscant and doesn't jump on me for every little thing like some other masters."

While the padawans chatted, Drex talked to Eleena. The woman was likeable and had a quick wit that he liked. Her padawan seemed nice enough, too; he hoped she would get along well with Kaden.

When they had returned to their quarters, Drex found the mission briefing on his console. It was a fairly large document, containing sections about all aspects of life on Tnangan-at-Val, or at least life in those societies that had had some contact with the Republic.

"Alright," he said to Kaden, handing him a data chip that contained the file. "I give you one hour to get an overview of the topics this document covers and pick three that you would be most interested in studying in depth. Afterwards, we will divide up tasks. This afternoon, we will go to the gym and review some Force work and defensive techniques that might come in handy. Tomorrow, we will buy whatever we will need for our mission gear, and we will pack. Any questions so far?"

"Yeah, do you want a cup of tea? I'm thirsty, I don't feel like water and we don't get juice for another..." Kade glanced at his watch, "two days! That sucks, I'll just miss out. Maybe the council will stock the ship with lots of good stuff."

"Yes, thank you, I'd like some tea," said Drex, smiling. "And I daresay the ship will be equipped with enough food for the trip, though I have to warn you. Spaceship food is rarely satisfying. We will just have to hope that the food on Tnangan-at-Val is good. As far as I know, the locals have a rather similar digestive system to humans. Most of their food should be edible for you." Drex was not that concerned about himself since Hrakians could stomach most everything.

Bad food was not something Kaden had associated with spaceship travel up to now although now that it was pointed out to him, he could see why it might be. "I guess there is only so much that will keep fresh before you have to start on vacuum packs," he commented while flicking the water to boil and pulling their teapot down from the cupboard.

A few minutes later, he exited the kitchen, teapot and cups in hand. He spent the first half hour sitting at the table going through the file and sipping tea, while the second half an hour was shared between the couch, floor and eventually the table again. "Can I take military and defence, education and primary production?" he asked. At least two of those three topics he had some experience with. As for the military and defence, well, that one sounded like the most fun in his opinion.

Drex nodded. "Alright," he agreed. "Start with primary production. And keep in mind that this planet holds many vastly different cultures and economic systems and that your information probably only covers a few of them. My impression is that the file mainly provides information on the Ha'en-Shin and a bit of what they think about the second-biggest culture, the Toykin, who are also their main rival. Naturally, their opinion of the Toykin is rather derogatory. We should not accept it as fact. Anyway, I'll start with religion and values. That way, we will have the major topics covered by tomorrow night."

Kade yawned and leaned his chair back onto two legs. "Alright," he agreed, and started reading. Naturally he'd much rather be out exploring Coruscant, but the truth was he didn't find this as boring as homework would have been.

An hour or so later, he had a file full of notes and stood to stretch. "It seems as if their primary production is as diverse as their culture. Some areas are rich in mineral deposits, others are mainly crops and animal production. There's quite a large number of forests, and their fishing industry is huge. Both the Ha'en-Shin and Toykin produce just about everything themselves. Neither faction relies on the other for anything, at least as far as this report states. Anything interesting about religion and values?" he asked, curious to know if they had any weird and wonderful customs that he would no doubt find entertaining.

"Oh, lots," replied Drex, "but it's all rather vague, especially with respect to the Toykin whom the Ha'en-Shin consider to be outrageously aggressive. They value peacefulness themselves, despite the fact that they're quick to apply the death penalty. They also dislike weapons."

"They dislike weapons? Honestly, what sort of people are they anyway!" Kade guffawed, but was soon back reading when this garnered no more than a snort from his master.

Several hours later, they had lunch then went to the gym where Drex planned to review Kaden's Force work abilities. They started with cushioning falls, which Kaden found difficult but could manage at an acceptable level. Then there was levitation which he enjoyed, and Force pushes which they had just started.

"You're doing well," Drex told Kaden. "Maybe there will be some opportunity during the mission to teach you Force-enhanced running. Open spaces are always good for that. The planet even has desert regions."

"For real? You'd really teach me Force-enhanced running?" Kaden said in a surprised tone of voice. The idea of Force-enhanced running was enticing. It required a lot of physical and mental control, but it would be fun! "If you trust me to learn Force-enhanced running," he could not help but add, "why won't you let me build my lightsaber? You do know that I'm the only Jedi on this mission still carrying a toy for a weapon, right?" He allowed a hint of indignation to creep into his tone, but only a hint since complaining about this rarely went over well.

"You," said Drex mildly, "are very close to being marched to the bench. Cut down on the whining immediately. And be glad I'm feeling lenient enough to give you a warning."

Kade fell silent at that response, the only sound being that of his booted toe scuffing the floor as he continued to silently pout. "Sorry," he managed after a moment, yet he was not feeling at all placated. In fact, he felt frustrated. Thankfully for him, he was well able to put a lid on it as he knew that if he did not, Drex would make him meditate. And he was enjoying practicing Force pushes!

They spent the next half hour pushing a decoy, and occasionally each other, around the gym. It wasn't the most physically taxing of workouts but it was enjoyable.

That evening, they ate at the dining hall. They were just returning to their quarters when Kade had an idea. "Shouldn't a Jedi get to practice building their lightsaber before building their own for real?" he asked as they entered their quarters that evening. He had been pondering ways to talk his master into allowing him to build his lightsaber since returning from Manchana. This was the first time he'd tried this particular angle, though. It was quite clever, he thought.

"No," said Drex; and that was all the reply he gave. He hung his cloak onto its hook, pulled off his boots and made his way to the table at his usual, unhurried pace. They were going to put in another hour of mission preparation now and Kaden knew it.

"Well, it stands to reason that if I have to practice everything else, I should practice building my saber also," Kade pressed, following Drex to their table where he pulled out his chair and sat, a rather smug expression on his face. This was a solid argument, the boy was sure of it.

Drex did not happen to agree, though. He rose, rounded the table, pulled Kaden up by the scruff of his neck, pushed him forward across the table and delivered a swat to his bottom that was as hard as he could make it.

Kaden didn't struggle when Drex grabbed him; the boy had known that he was pushing it, and for reasons that had made sense at the time, he had deemed the satisfaction of such a good argument worth the risk. "AHhh!" Force! It was not. "AHH'Owwchh!" Holy shit! He thought, bracing himself as best he could.

"No more of this," Drex said firmly, letting a second, equally hard swat follow. "You know I will let you build your saber when I think you are ready, not before."

He dealt out a third swat and continued: "Whining will get you nowhere but into the exact position you're in right now."

A fourth blow connected with the undercurve of Kaden's bottom, causing the boy to yell out and start struggling.

"And do not believe for a moment that I will hesitate to do this during our mission when I feel it is warranted," Drex added, just to make sure Kaden got the message. He really did not fancy the idea of having to keep discussing this topic with his impatient padawan throughout their mission. He thought it better to be clear about this before they took off for Tnangan-at-Val, and therefore he dealt out two more resounding swats before asking: "Are you ready to let this topic drop?"

Kaden swore that he felt his teeth actually rattle in his head at those last few swats, and despite desperately wanting to respond to the lecture with something that would placate the man, he simply couldn't. When Drex asked if he was willing to drop the subject, the shamelessly bellowed: "Yes, Master!" was blurted immediately. As far as Kaden was concerned, he was not going to mention this again until he was knighted! His ass was not cut out for this shit!

"Good," said Drex calmly, releasing his hold on Kaden. "Now sit down. Yes, I know this will hurt. I also happen to think that this lesson needs some reinforcement."

He folded his arms across his chest and stood, waiting for Kaden to comply with his order.

Sit down? He had to be joking… He _was_ joking, right? Fuck, he wasn't joking! Kaden swiped at his eyes with a sleeve; he was NOT crying! Especially not over a mere six swats. Sure, said swats had been spectacular as such things went. Still… Suppressing a grimace the boy slowly lowered his backside into the chair, picked up his data reader and started up where he left off. To say that this was uncomfortable was an understatement. His backside had its very own heartbeat. Kaden could be stubborn, though, and right now he was giving Drex the silent treatment.

Drex was not usually impressed by silent treatments and today was no exception. He picked up his own data reader and started to read up on higher education; Kaden was currently working on the school system so this would be a good fit.

After a full hour, he finally put his reader down and said: "Alright, padawan. Let's meditate together. After that, we will discuss our reading, and then, it is bedtime for you."

He thought it would be a good idea to have that discussion after meditation; that would make it harder for Kaden to continue sulking. Drex was not exactly bent on inciting further trouble.

The hour spent trying to hide his discomfort at having to sit had done little to improve Kaden's mood. Still sulking, he got to his feet and moved to kneel on his mat where he waited for Drex to join him. He wasn't angry, not really, he was just frustrated.

As was typical, their meditation helped him release that frustration and by the time they were done, he was feeling far less hard-done-by. It also helped that his ass had started to forgive him, the pain having by now been reduced to little more than a dull ache. He gave that portion of anatomy a cursory rub as he stood, and then turned a sheepish expression at his master that was lost on the man. "I'm sorry," was all he said. But after their meditation, no explanation would be necessary for Drex to know what he was apologising for.

Drex gave Kaden a brief, reassuring hug; not long enough to be embarrassing, but enough to let him know he was forgiven.

"It's alright, padawan," he said lightly. "Lie down on the couch if you like; we can talk about our findings then."

They discussed what they found out until Kaden's eyes began to get heavy and Drex told him to get ready for bed. Not that he could actually sleep; this mission was going to be exciting!


	2. Chapter 2

The next day went much like the last one, only that instead of spending their morning in a meeting, they spent it at the Temple Store stocking up their mission gear – Kaden's mostly, for Drex was fairly well-equipped. After that, Drex had Kaden practice deflecting shots for an hour. After lunch, they did their packing, worked on the mission briefing for a couple more hours and then went to the obstacle course. Drex thought that by giving Kaden a physical challenge now, the inevitable restlessness that was usually the result of long spaceship trips might be delayed at least a little.

The obstacle course Drex had chosen was not nearly the most challenging the Temple had to offer, but to Kaden it might well be. It started with a rope netting which led into a section of pipe that one had to quite literally squirm through. After this was a solid wall which had foot holds for those who were not advanced enough to use Force-enhanced jumps. Kade's eye followed the ten meters of monkey bars which butted on to a line of hurdles only to snake to the left where a huge ladder pyramid was waiting to be scaled. There were a few ropes dangling from the ceiling that led to a balance beam positioned high above the gym floor. Apparently, the way off the beam was to jump into a pit of foam squares below, where the course continued with a section of low level netting that had to be crawled over. Kaden stopped looking at this point and sighed. He wasn't the most athletic of boys, something that his master was bent on rectifying. "If I die, tell Gannon he can have my pocket money." He was joking, kinda. The truth was he didn't have much saved after having spent the entire sum on a holo game during their visit to the Anchanang markets, then having gone into arrears replacing their wooden spoon... Tampering with Drex's limited supply of spanking implements had not been amongst his brightest of ideas and had resulted in the man procuring some replacements that Kaden could have done without.

"So scared?" Drex asked in amusement. "Well, in that case, you'd better try the course with a blindfold."

Before Kaden had any chance to protest, Drex had produced a piece of cloth and held it out to him.

"Am not," Kaden muttered under his breath. He accepted the blindfold with a slight cringe and took one last look at the obstacles before pulling it around his eyes tightly.

By the time he clambered over the rope netting for the second time, Kaden was growing tired of the lesson. He scrambled from the final obstacle, then made his way over to where he sensed Drex was waiting. Being blindfolded was not exactly foreign to the padawan, his creche masters and trainers had done it many times over the years. What they were doing now was several leagues above anything he had done before and required far more concentration on his part. He stood before Drex hoping to all hope that the next instructions were along the lines of: "Well done, Padawan," and, "let us go and eat."

Drex, however, had Kaden do the course for a third time, without the blindfold. He was interested to see to what extent he relied on his eyes and whether that was going to help or hinder him.

Despite not wanting to, Kaden dragged his feet towards the starting point once again. He was now physically tired from his efforts, but with the added advantage of his eyesight, he managed to complete the course in a similar time and fashion as before.

"Alright," said Drex, smiling at his exhausted padawan. "You do rely on your eyes, but much less so than you used to. Which is good. Using your eyes is fine, but there are situations in which your sense of the Force will be the more reliable source of information. Hence the blindfold. Now take a shower and let's have dinner."

They turned in relatively early today; Drex was confident that after all the physical exertion, Kaden was going to sleep well.

And sleep he did. The boy's head had barely hit the pillow and he was out like a light.

The following morning he woke bright and early, ready to go. He showered, dressed, shouldered his pack and exited his bedroom to find Drex was not yet in the common room. It was still early so he decided to start organising some breakfast. He ordered two serves of toast, some cereal and fruit, then flicked on the holo channel to wait.

Drex was, in fact, awake; he had been meditating in his room for a while. When he heard Kaden out and about, he slowly emerged from his trance and went into the common room.

A little while later, they were sitting at the table and eating the breakfast Kaden had ordered.

"How are you feeling about leaving on your first mission?" Drex asked.

How did he feel? Excited, impatient, curious, enthusiastic, inexperienced, Kaden felt all of those things and more. However, the boy settled on: "Okay, I guess. It will be like all the times we've gone out into Coruscant. This time it is for real, though. I won't let you down." The latter was tacked on as Kaden knew he struggled with some aspects of his training and was far from perfect. That Drex had requested this mission made him want to do his best to prove him right in his belief that he was indeed ready for such responsibility, even if said responsibility was not much more than obedience at this stage in his training.

Drex sensed a lot of what was going on in Kaden; he smiled in understanding.

"I trust you to give your best, Padawan," he said kindly. "Who knows what challenges this mission might bring. It is really not one of the most foreseeable assignments, which makes it all the more interesting."

And it was true; after all his mission experience, Drex still found some interest in this type of mission, discovering an unknown world.

They went over the major points from yesterday's notes during breakfast. Then, after placing the dishes into the washer, the pair completed a joint meditation and left. They were on schedule to arrive a minute or so before ten.

The ship was waiting for them, hatch open; they boarded and found that nearly everyone was already there, except for Nafanda and Eleena.

"You were right about the ship," Kaden observed as he boarded behind Drex. It was plenty big enough for ten Jedi and had a large cargo area which could be used as a gym. Each team had a room to themselves which, according to Hennar and Angkat, was already an improvement on their last assignment wherein two teams had been crammed into an evacuation pod for three days.

"Stop complaining. It could have been much worse," Hennar scolded, bringing up the fact that the pod had accommodated for their bathroom needs.

The mental picture had Kaden and a few others nodding in agreement, which made the Ithorian padawan chuckle.

It was at that moment Eleena entered, closely followed by her apprentice, Nafanda. Again the Twi'lek was looking a little annoyed; they were halfway to the hangar bay when her padawan remembered that she had left her small mission survival kit on her bed. They ended up being only a minute or two late, though. The woman greeted the rest of their team with a smile.

"Eleena, Nafanda," Naee Tiis greeted, inclining his head. "Now that we are all here, I believe it is time to leave. I will be prepping for take-off if anyone has need of me," he announced.

"Can I help?" Kaden asked the Iktotchi Jedi, then turned to Drex. "If that's alright with you," was quickly tacked on. Drex had enrolled him in flight classes from his first day as an apprentice; the addition of a sighted pilot on their team increasing their usefulness to the Order.

Tiis paused, waiting on the older Jedi's ruling. He didn't mind having the boy tag along, as long as he didn't ask too many questions and become bothersome.

Drex nodded. "It's alright with me as long as Master Tiis doesn't mind and you don't get in his way," he said.

"Kaden has taken a lot of piloting classes because, for obvious reasons, that is one skill I don't possess," he explained to the Iktotchi Jedi master. "He knows the theory, but since we have rarely been off-planet, he has little practice."

"Very well, come on," Tiis replied, then turned and strode for the cockpit.

Five minutes later…

"Seriously, I can do this. Let me try by myself?" Kaden asked for the second time. He had been watching for twenty minutes now and not got a single question wrong.

"Patience, padawan," Tiis scolded mildly.

"You know, I'm getting sick of hearing that word," Kaden griped. Drex was always telling him to be patient and he was sick of being patient.

Tiis actually chuckled at that, but given the boy had obeyed and stopped badgering him, he did not comment further.

Another twenty minutes passed by with Kaden answering questions but he had still yet to get his hands on the controls. He shot the Iktotchi Jedi a pleading expression that was completely ignored, then huffed as they lifted off. Tiis hadn't let him do anything other than watch and answer questions.

"Calculate and input the coordinates for the jump," Tiis instructed a very bored-looking apprentice.

Kaden almost jumped when the Iktochi's voice broke their ten-minute silence. "Alright." He was glad for the opportunity to do something other than sit, watch and answer questions. It took him several minutes but he soon had the numbers up and ready to execute.

"You sure?" Tiis queried, his face impassive.

"Yeah, I'm sure, I double-checked."

"Better triple-check."

Kaden frowned, but did as he was told. Sure enough, he'd made a small error in the final calculation. It was nothing that would have them turned into a toaster strudel, but enough to throw their journey out by a day or so. Again, Kaden rechecked, and this time received a nod. A minute later the ship's hyperspace drive was engaged and the stars turned to stripes.

"That was satisfactory," the Iktotchi told him, standing from the pilot's seat and gesturing that the boy precede him from the cockpit.

Satisfactory? Satisfactory! That was it? He'd barely gotten anything wrong! Kade didn't say as much, though, and simply exited the cockpit to find Drex.

Drex, like most of their team, had retreated to their cabin to unpack his things. Living from a suitcase was not practical for him, especially not if he was supposed to do so for a week; so he put everything in its place, leaving half the closet space for Kaden.

"Well? How did it go?" he asked when Kaden finally arrived, shortly after the engines had started.

"Satisfactory," Kaden parroted Tiis' words, but despite this, he looked and felt decidedly hard-done-by. "The only thing he let me do was input the coordinates and I fucked it up." He knelt onto the bed where Drex had placed his pack and pulled the zipper open.

"If that had been the case, your performance would hardly have been called satisfactory, would it?" Drex asked mildly. "From what I know about Master Tiis, you will be hard-pressed to receive enthusiastic comments about your performance under the best of circumstances from him. What did you do wrong?"

"You don't say," Kade scoffed, pulling his tunics and pants from the bag and laying them flat to be hung. "I miscalculated the final coordinates," he said and shrugged. "Navigation was never my strong suit when it came to flying." It was true, Kaden did well with the actual mechanics, but he needed practice nutting out coordinates.

"Yes, I can see how that might have been inconvenient," Drex said wryly. "Do you have difficulties with the math or did you not pay enough attention?"

"I understood the math, it was just a mistake. I was bored and kinda zoned out towards the end. In my defense, he wasn't letting me do anything. I didn't even get to raise the ramp," Kade griped and started to hang his clothing in the space Drex had left for him.

Drex smiled. "He will take his time," he said. "If you stick it out and keep showing an interest, he might let you do more - unless you allow yourself to be discouraged, of course. All masters have their own way of doing things, after all."


	3. Chapter 3

Less than a couple of hours into the flight to Tnangan-at-Val, Nafanda was feeling bored already. She had unpacked her bag and now there was nothing to do except for schoolwork, which she did not particularly want to draw her master's attention to. Apparently, there was a meeting at twelve and free time until then.

"May I go and explore the ship?" she asked her master. "I could ask Kaden to come."

Eleena glanced at her watch briefly. It had just gone eleven in the morning which would give them an hour of free time before the meeting; starting on school work now would be pointless. "Alright. We will all meet in the common room at midday," she reminded her apprentice and continued unpacking.

Kaden had already finished unpacking and with his master's permission was heading towards the common room area where he hoped to find the other apprentice, and perhaps Master Tiis, because after Drex's comment he did not plan to give up on learning from him. He smiled when Nafanda entered at the same time he did. "You want to look around?" he asked, hoping that they might find something interesting in the process.

"Yeah, I was gonna ask you the same thing," Nafanda replied with a grin. Kaden seemed likable enough and, more importantly, he was the only padawan her age except for Brill who was definitely not someone Nafanda wanted to hang out with. Only a month ago, Brill had ratted out Nafanda's friend Aoe for playing a harmless prank on their biology teacher which had not exactly endeared him to the girls.

"Are you any good at hologames?" Nafanda asked Kaden, opening the cupboards in the common room at random. "They usually have a stock of them on starships, I've been told. Ah, here they are."

It wasn't the biggest of selections, but there were about a dozen games or so, and most of them actually quite recent. Nafanda took a look at each and then handed them on to Kaden.

"Depends on the game. The last one I played was called 'The Walking Dead'. I found the entire collection with all the expansions for fifteen credits at the Anchanang markets. It was mispriced," Kaden explained, omitting the rest of what went down that day.

"Cool," said Nafanda. "I've heard about that one, but haven't played it yet."

"You got a favourite?" Kade wanted to know, flipping through the couple she had handed him and recognising a few titles.

"I like this one - Planet of Doom III," said Nafanda, pulling out a black chip from the bottom of the stack. "My favourite game is Starship Builder. The latest release allows you to build structures that are more like small planets than like mere starships. You can also populate them with colonists and so forth. It's great fun, but they don't seem to have it here. Shall we play a round of PD III or do you want to continue exploring?"

"Let's explore. I want to know what the cargo area is like," Kade said.

A few minutes later they were standing above a huge room. The floor was half steel grate and half smooth and was stacked high with crates that Kade suspected were either full of supplies or left empty for storage. The ceiling was high and studded with crude welding, and several ropes of bundled wiring snaked across the highest section, disappearing into the ceiling. "Sparring is going to be fun in here," he commented, jumping from the ledge to land on a sunken area of grated flooring. He met her gaze as she landed beside him, her own jump a little more graceful than his. "Not that I'll get to do much of it. Drex rarely lets me fight Ataru. You know, I'm fourteen years old and I still haven't built my lightsaber? He's always holding me back! Sorry, I don't mean to whine."

"Masters do that," Nafanda agreed. "I've been bugging my master to teach me Force-enhanced running but she says I'm 'too rash' and I first 'need to learn to pay better attention to what I'm doing' or I will bump into stuff at Force-enhanced speed and yadda yadda yadda."

Lowering her voice, she admitted: "I've asked older padawans for tips and watched their training. Once, when the training room was empty, I activated the dampers and gave it a try and it worked. I mean, yes, I ran into the opposite wall, but obviously, nothing happened since the dampers were activated. Anyway, everyone does that on their first attempt. I know I shouldn't have done it, but it's so hard always to be told no. I guess you know the feeling."

"I do," Kaden agreed, but was still surprised over the fact that Nafanda had managed Force-enhanced running on her first attempt. "You got it first go and without your master's instruction. Impressive." Jedi each had different talents, he knew, but to managed something like that first go? He was impressed. He looked at the girl with a knowing expression. "It can sometimes feel worse to get away with something than to be caught out, at least in the long term; at first I'd gratefully take getting away with it."

He jumped over to a section where an all-terrain vehicle was secured to the flooring with locking bolts. He'd always wanted to fly one of these and it showed in his expression, not that he lingered here as something better caught his attention. "Neat, have you ever been in an escape pod before?" he asked, eyeing the five pods with an inquisitive look.

"No, of course not," said Nafanda. "I don't have that much mission experience and certainly none of the escape pod type. My master thinks I'm not far enough advanced for missions that are actually dangerous and she's not that much into taking me on diplomatic missions either because I always seem to end up saying something that offends someone. Well, she got us onto this mission so I must have improved in some way."

Kaden shrugged. Apparently, they were in the same boat when it came to mission experience. Offending people wasn't among his issues, though. It was quite to the contrary: getting him to speak up in the first place was the bigger issue for him. He gave a subtle grin as he slid down the escape pod's round exterior and landed beside Nafanda.

They made it back to the meeting room just in time; had it been up to Nafanda, they might even have been late a little because she had discovered the engine room and had been quite fascinated. Besides, she reckoned that being late would not earn her too bad a scolding if she did not overdo it. When Kaden pointed at his wrist chrono, however, she did not protest; she was usually careful not to get others into trouble. Besides, she thought, her master and she had arrived late twice already; maybe it would be better to leave a good impression for once.

The meeting was meant to allow the team to exchange their impressions on what they had learned from the mission briefing and make proposals for how to proceed once they were on the planet. It was quickly agreed that they were going to stay together for their initial talks and exploration of the capital region of Mashen. After that, they would try to split up and explore more of the country of Ha'en-Shin. If possible, they would meet up in Mashen after that and continue their trip to the next country, Toykin, together. Their further route, for which they would probably split up again, would have to be determined while they were on the planet. To be prepared, Tiis set them to exploring the transport systems of the countries they had information on in pairs of two, and these were not master-padawan pairs. Kaden was to work with Tiis on the state of Ozbrinia, while Nafanda was assigned to working with Drex on the state of Toykin.

Kaden was surprised, but not put out at being separated from his master. Being paired with Tiis, whose teaching style seemed to consist of silence and little feedback or encouragement, didn't exactly thrill him, though. Kaden sat by the Iktotchi's side and accepted the data reader which contained their mission report.

The file on Ozbrinia was large, but not as big as the major states like Ha'en-Shin and Toykin. He jabbed at the start only to be interrupted.

"This file consists of six parts," said Tiis. "An introduction, land, air, underground, marine and a conclusion. The body sections are too large for both of us to read so we will take two each. Choose."

Kaden glanced from the datapad, to the Iktotchi master, then back again. "Okay... I'll take marine and underground," he said, these being the most foreign and therefore most interesting.

Tiis nodded and started working on what was left.

Kaden discovered that the transport system in Ozbrinia was still underdeveloped when compared to the larger states. However, significant investments into improving their transport infrastructure, starting with their underground tube system, had begun since the introduction of interstellar travel. The tubes now ran the length of their state and joined up with others. This made tube travel one of the most efficient ways to avoid air traffic in the more heavily populated areas. "This looks like fun." Kaden gestured to the section he was reading on the underground. "I hope we get a chance to use these."

Tiis nodded, but didn't comment.

Kaden rolled his eyes; conversation wasn't this guy's forte, but he was still likeable enough. Kinda.

Tiis didn't say a lot, but that didn't mean he was unhelpful. He had patiently given advice with most things and left it to Kade to figure out for himself whenever he felt more could be learned from that.

"Off you go, then," he told Kaden when, after two pairs had finished presenting their findings, it was their turn.

"Why me? Why don't you deliver it?" Kade asked indignantly.

"Because I asked you to," Tiis replied simply.

Kade frowned. There wasn't a huge amount to read, but still... "That isn't an answer, it's evasion."

Tiis didn't respond to that. Instead, he met the boy with a penetrating expression that just dared him to disobey.

"Alright, alright, keep your tunic on."

This garnered a snort from Tiis, yet Kaden would swear blind that he saw a twinkle of humour in the man's eye.

Eleena and Brill were next to deliver their report; then came Nafanda and Drex.

Eleena had been paired with Brill to study the state of Etat. She'd found the boy quite studious and did not need to help him much at all. That said, she also considered him a little arrogant when it came to his knowledge. It was almost as if he thought himself superior, even to her. Unlike Tiis and Kaden, Eleena and Brill each chose a section to deliver. Etat, although one of the smaller states of Tnangan-at-Val, had more developed transport infrastructure. Not only was their tube system complete, but they also had several monorails and their air traffic was routed more efficiently. They were an inland state, though, and thus had no marine sector to speak of which made their report shorter than the one Kaden had delivered.

Nafanda and Drex had had their work cut out for them because the file on Toykin was huge albeit somewhat biassed because the Ha'en-Shin, who had provided the data, were at odds with the Toykin. Apparently, Toykin covered a huge area, ranging from subarctic to subtropical regions, was thinly populated in some areas and densely populated in others. The country was economically very successful, but imported most of its technology from elsewhere. Their main mode of transportation was air travel, but since the country was short on natural resources and power cells were comparatively expensive, they also made extensive use of waterways, employing a type of hovercraft boats.

Most of the data they had was on the capital city of Engwuan and its traffic networks. Drex asked Nafanda to familiarise herself with the city map and their transport options, ideally learning the most important routes by heart.

Nafanda frowned. "I can't even pronounce all these weird names," she complained. "Who calls their main thoroughfare Eee-her-wut-capf-sli-na-whatever?"

"It probably means something like 'Street of a thousand flowers', or 'Street of the fourth day of the tenth lunar month', or 'Airport road'," Drex said patiently. "You would have no trouble memorising such names in Basic because you understand their meaning. There is a language file attached. Find out about the words for street, road and so forth. That will make your job easier."

"As if we don't have protocol droids to translate for us," Nafanda huffed. Tedious work like this was not exactly her forte.

Drex raised his eyebrows. "Never rely on others when you can do a job yourself," he said quite mildly, but with a slight hint of a warning to his voice. "If I, as a blind person, am telling you this, you can consider it sound advice."

Nafanda suddenly realised she had behaved rather childishly. She also thought it unwise to push the Hrakian Jedi master any further. "Yes, Master Zaryth," she said quietly. "Sorry."

In the end, she managed to put together a presentation on Engwuan's transport network while Drex reported on the overland routes. She could not resist asking, after they were done, though: "What about the protocol droids who are supposed to translate for us? Are they with us on the ship?"

"They are," said Devra with a smile. "We will get together with them tonight." She and Tiis had thought it better not to introduce them too early into the mission so the team would at least start to familiarise itself in a rudimentary fashion with Tnangan-at-Val's various language systems before everyone started relying on the protocol droids.

By now, it was mid-afternoon; they had had a sandwich meal while they worked. There were still three hours left until dinnertime. Those were free for workouts, school work or spare time.

"Alright, ninety minutes of school work now," Drex told Kaden. "After that, we can go to the cargo hold and have a workout."

"If you insist," Kade said through a groan. He wasn't exactly pleased with the prospect of spending yet more time staring at a datapad.

He glanced over his shoulder as they left the common room to see what the others were doing. Eleena was taking Nafanda to the cargo bay for what he assumed was a workout. Brill had cornered Devra in an effort to impress her with some extra knowledge he hadn't delivered in their speech and was just about to be interrupted by his frowning master. Hennar and Angkat were discussing something that Kaden couldn't quite make out given the low level chatter, and Tiis was heading towards the cockpit.

Grateful for the company, even if only briefly, Kaden pulled his personal data pad from the desk and jumped onto the bed. He grinned boyishly at adding an extra few bounces before landing. "You know, I had a teacher once who told me that his personal motto on missions is to always talk to the protocol droids, especially when on starships with nothing much to do. He went on to say that they have been around for ages, that they never sleep, and that nothing escapes them. He also said that they can be fun to mess with, well, not mess with exactly, but that was what I took away from it." He frowned down at his biology assignment. "I wonder if they're any good at homework…"

"Oh, they are," Drex said with a smile. "Definitely so. But this is not really homework; it is work that is meant to help you not to fall behind too far in your classes. And that purpose would hardly be achieved if you let a droid do your assignments. Needless to say, I would not be pleased either."

And Drex always took his hairbrush on missions; primarily for the purpose of brushing his thick hair, but it was always there in case Kaden's behaviour was over the top. Drex hoped there would be no opportunity for his padawan to find this out, but he did not hold high hopes; none of his previous apprentices had managed to hold out for this long at fourteen years of age.

Kade rolled his eyes at what he perceived to be semantics, and started to read. He had barely gotten five words into the first paragraph when he stopped and looked up, eyeing his master with a quizzical expression. "Exactly how displeased are we talking here?" he enquired, because apparently his first assignment was about as interesting as watching paint dry.

"Very displeased," said Drex, his face and voice deadpan. "It would be deceitful, and you don't want to be punished for being deceitful. You may trust me on that."

"I'll take your word for it," Kaden replied and traced the thin scar that ran across his eyebrow. He'd gotten that scar courtesy of Shald, a Nautolan boy who had goaded him into a fight. Then, he'd allowed Lin to inexpertly patch him up in an effort to hide the whole thing from Drex. Yeah, that hadn't worked out so well. It did, however, teach him that trying deceive his master did not end well. If losing his saber hadn't been bad enough, having Drex whale the tar out of him with that horrid brush of his had done the trick. Not again.

He worked diligently for ninety minutes and was seriously grateful when Drex told him it was time to stop. Tossing his data pad, he stood, stretched and yawned. He swiped his lightsaber from his side table and wondered what sort of workout they'd do. Of course, it went without saying that he hoped to do some Ataru, not that he often got his way.

"Alright, what would you like us to do?" Drex asked. "Save for using Ataru, that is."

"Are you ever going to allow some time for Ataru?!" Kade held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not complaining. It's just that it's been forever. Force, I'm gonna be twenty by the time you let me." It was all the boy could do not to pout.

"No, you won't," Drex said mildly. "Now do you want to decide what we're going to do or do you want to keep complaining?"

Kaden frowned, but knew that to say anything more about it would backfire. Instead, he huffed, crossed his arms and took a moment to think. "Soresu I guess," came the dejected reply. He unclipped his weapon and smiled; he loved the feel of his lightsaber, it fit so well in his hands and he could only imagine what making his own was going to be like. For a moment, he was lost in that thought. That was until Drex came at him and he was forced to defend himself. Defence only!

Drex had Kaden defend himself against fast-paced attacks for half an hour, then signalled for him to pause.

"You probably know that the great weakness of Soresu is that it will rarely enable you to score a victory against your opponent," he told Kaden. "You will almost certainly be able to outlast him if you have mastered the form, but hardly more than that. That is why the fifth form has been developed, a form that will allow you not only to defend yourself against your opponent's attacks, but to turn them against him. This is one of the ways in which it is different from Ataru. It also has more defensive potential, especially when dealing with blaster fire or working against multiple opponents or fighting in confined spaces where acrobatics will be of little use. As you probably know, the fifth form comes in two variants, both of which require some grounding in Soresu. I believe you have advanced sufficiently to start working on them. Djem So, the variant designed for lightsaber combat, is something I will not introduce to you yet because it relies too heavily on strength and, ultimately, aggression. We might come to that at a later stage. Mastering Shien, however, is essential in order to defend yourself against blaster attacks and turn them against your opponent. Have you already been taught any Shien moves in the creche?"

Drex thought it unlikely; most creche instructors focussed on defence against blaster bolts, not on actually overpowering the person holding the blaster. But there were always exceptions.

Okay, so that Kaden hadn't expected, because despite what he might think at times, he didn't actually believe that his master was out to torment him with all the Soresu. Still, the prospect of learning something different was enough to pique his interest. He took a moment to think. Had he been taught anything Shien? Nothing that jumped to mind, but like any boy who was passionate about lightsaber duelling, he knew the basics of each form, some more than others. "No, at least not formally, although," he coughed. "I did have a go at the barrier of blades a couple of times when nobody was watching. I know that the ready position stance is like this." Kaden shifted his dominant leg back, held his saber in both hands and well above his head in a high guard. The blade was angled upwards and behind which felt strange to him, almost vulnerable.

Drex nodded. "Good," he said. "However, it stands to reason that with this type of position, your stance and balance are even more important than they usually are. I'm afraid this will be our first order of business. When you have that down, we'll work on Shien moves that will enable you to deflect shots right into your opponents and other moves that will enable you to take them out directly. Doing so while drawing fire from several directions will require considerable skill, but I trust you will manage."

He continued to work with Kaden on his footing by repeatedly attacking him in ways that made him use his balance. Kaden got the hang of this fairly quickly, and Drex hoped he realised that this was to a huge part due to all the tedious Soresu practice he had been put through.

Kaden didn't, and probably wouldn't credit the time he'd been forced to practice Soresu for anything other than an improvement in his defensive foundation for a while, unless it was pointed out to him. The boy was stubborn when it came to his lightsaber training. Not deliberately, but he was, and as a result he was still at a stage where he obeyed because it was his duty and because he trusted Drex to know best. Of course, the consequences of straying from the path also acted as a good incentive for the boy to mind. Mostly…

As a dedicated would-be duellist throughout crèche, Kaden knew that not many Jedi used strictly a single style, and he knew that the two forms differed. Sure, Shien wasn't anything like the contrast Ataru presented, but it was still more than enough to pique his interest. This was a step up in his opinion, so much so that he endured the entire lesson without signs of annoyance. Besides, as much as working on his stance and balance was not amongst his favourite gym activities, Drex could have him doing things that were far worse.

When they'd finished, Kaden didn't move towards the exit. Instead, he remained standing in the middle of the cargo bay, his hand placed casually on the hilt of his lightsaber. "Since we've established that Shien works on creating openings, and given I've been practicing balance and stance for an hour now… Do you think we could try it out during sparring?" he asked, trying to sound casual about it.

"Padawan, Shien has been created as a defence against blaster fire," Drex patiently told him. "If you want to give it a try, we'd have to use training droids, several of them. Which we will do, but not now. Now is dinner time, and after that, time to meet our protocol droids. As far as I understand, we will get one to ourselves, so we'd best get accustomed to him or her." Droids did not have a sex, of course, but protocol droids were designed to look and sound either male or female, and Drex thought it more suitable to refer to them as "him" or "her" than as a thing.

Kade sighed, his hand moving from his saber hilt and dropping to his side as he followed Drex out. He wasn't happy, but nor did he complain.

When the group entered the common room after dinner, six droids were waiting for them since Tiis and Devra each got one to themselves. Kaden and Drex approached the droid that Tiis pointed out to them; it looked as if it was fresh from the factory.

"Hi, I'm Kaden Lightbane," Kade greeted, offering a bow to the silver-plated droid.

"Greetings," the slightly fussy and distinctly female voice of the droid replied. Drex had always wondered why they did not give droids who had diplomatic functions nicer, and above all, calmer voices!

J-7LI bowed deeply to both Jedi. "Pleased to meet you. I am J-7LI. – You must be Master Zaryth," she said to Drex.

"I am," said Drex. "You look new; are you a recent model?" This could be an advantage as recent models tended to have better functions and a better grasp of languages, but it could also be a disadvantage because with droids, same as with living beings, experience counted for something.

"I am," said J-7LI proudly. "We all are. We have been programmed explicitly to serve your needs during this mission by translating as many of the languages on Tnangan-at-Val as are currently available. We will also be able to upgrade our skills by listening and conducting conversations."

"This is your very first mission then?" Drex asked in amusement, thinking that they would have to babysit a bunch of droids in addition to their padawans!

"Oh, yes," J-7LI said solemnly. "I hope I will be able to make it a successful one for you!"

"Sure you will," Kaden added, although he secretly thought that if what his teacher had told him about protocol droids' experience was for real, this might work against them. He looked over the sleek new model curiously. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if she was any good at biology but, uh, yeah, no. Not after Drex's warning. He cleared his throat unnecessarily and asked: "Is there anything that you know of that we shouldn't say?"

J-7LI gave him a look that, despite her robotic features, clearly indicated bewilderment. "I am not sure what you are referring to," she said. "You should not use swear words? You should not call your master names?"

Drex chortled. "Kaden, you need to be precise when talking to droids," he said. "I guess what you meant is, is there anything you should not say to people on Tnangan-at-Val?"

Kaden rolled his eyes at what he considered a ridiculous misunderstanding, but waited patiently for J-7LI to reply.

"Tnangan-at-Val has a diverse population. To which group are you referring?"

Kaden dry-washed his face with a hand. "Okay, try this." He was beginning to lose patience. "Is there anything, anything at all, that we either singularly or as a group should not say to a local, living or dead, in the capital region of Mashen, whether they be Toykin or Ha'en-Shin?" he asked, an edge of irritation to his tone.

"According to my information, there are very few Toykin in Mashen," J-7LI replied promptly. "The Toykin are traders and are used to dealing with diverse populations. They are not easily offended; however, they might try to cheat people who they think are easily deceived. Therefore, it is important to appear self-confident and shrewd in their presence. As for the Ha'en-Shin, you should not appear aggressive in any way. You should never threaten anyone, however mildly. You should make no reference to weapons or wars. While you may ask questions about their customs, you should never appear to question their purpose because the Ha'en-Shin would consider this offensive. You should never talk to a child without the permission of its parents. You should desist from mentioning populations other than the Ha'en-Shin unless the other person mentions them because some Ha'en-Shin feel uncomfortable with that. You should never speak before the other person has finished speaking. You should not remark on their looks in ways that could be considered disparaging. You should..."

"Yes, yes, thank you," said Drex in amusement. "I assume we should not insult them either."

"No, that would be a very bad idea," J-7LI said solemnly.

Kaden was surprised at the amount of information J-7LI actually had to offer. "Gee, the Ha'en-Shin sound like an open-minded, fun lot to hang around," he remarked dryly; he was being facetious, of course. "Right. Don't be threatening, don't talk about weapons or wars, don't question their customs, don't talk to children without asking, pretend that they are the only people on the planet while trying not to roll our eyes as this is also offensive, and if they're hideous, don't tell them. Got it." He turned to Drex at this point, a look of bewilderment on his face. "How in Hoth could you have a conversation with a person with all those rules? And more to the point, why would anyone want to?" Kaden was used to the simplicity of Temple life, but thanks to Drex, he'd experienced a lot more of Coruscant since becoming a padawan. Not that they'd come across anything like the Ha'en-Shin before. This was entirely new.

"Kaden, anyone has a lot of rules in their conversations," Drex replied in amusement. "We do. You just don't notice because you are so used to them. And we have very good reason to want to talk to the Ha'en-Shin, so we had better make an effort to follow their rules."

Kaden thought about that. His mouth opened and closed a few times. Was that true? Did they really have a lot of complicated rules and he just didn't notice them? It must be if it came from Drex. "I never thought about it like that before," he admitted.

Drex smiled. "And you probably don't mean to honestly tell me that you don't know the reason why we would want to talk to them," he remarked.

"No. Of course not," Kaden replied because he really did want to succeed in their mission.

Drex nodded. He then informed J-7LI that he was blind and might require assistance, for example in cases in which his padawan would undertake assignments on his own. J-7LI was, of course, more than eager to help.

The other teams eventually came to the same conclusion as he did: Since their droids were all new, there was not much to learn from them. The meeting started to disperse slowly. "You're free to go and do whatever you like for the evening," Drex told Kaden. "Be back by nine thirty for our evening meditation.

"Nine-thirty," Kaden repeated and turned to find just about everyone had left already.

Eleena had taken Nafanda to their room, probably to work on assignments. Henner and his Ithorian padawan, Angkat, were exiting the room whilst talking with Devra. Tiis was, as usual, nowhere to be seen. This left Triz and Brill who had just finished up with their droid; apparently, there was more that Brill wanted to know. Kaden felt a pang of sympathy for their droid, but did not hang around to listen. He left the room, an idea in mind.

A short while later, Kaden was sitting to one side of their empty cargo bay. He'd taken off his tunic and spread it out. Then, using a small gadget tool from his utility belt, he began methodically pulling his lightsaber apart one piece at a time. It was something he'd started doing when he'd first been given a permanent training saber of his own; Kaden was a curious boy and had wanted to know how it worked. Unfortunately for him, the first time he'd done this, he'd fried his weapon and K'Mi had not allowed him to replace if for quite some time. Due to his passion for all things lightsaber, he read anything and everything he could get his paws on to do with the construction and mechanics of a lightsaber. Thus, the next time he tried pulling it to bits, the thing survived.

Kade began with the handgrip, unscrewing the two tiny screws that held it in place. He removed the casing to reveal the wires and crystal inside. He had never worked up the courage to mess with the crystal chamber itself, as realigning the crystals without guidance was probably beyond him. Once it was apart he began to methodically clean the parts and hilt with a spit soaked corner of his tunic. He was just about to start fine tuning the length and power when the sound of footsteps on a metal floor caught his attention. Quickly, he bundled his saber into the tunic and shoved it behind himself.

"Why are you sitting on the floor with no tunic on? Brill asked. "And," he paused for effect. "What are you hiding behind your back?" He craned his neck to try seeing for himself but Kaden had it wedged between his back and the wall.

"Nothing that concerns you," Kade countered smoothly, completely ignoring his first question. "Do you and Master Vandab need the room to train?" he asked. Kaden would be happy to take his project elsewhere.

"Nope. My master has given me the night off, I've already finished one assignment; it wasn't a very difficult one," Brill boasted. "So are you going to tell me what you're doing or not?"

"Not. Now buzz off," said Kaden.

"I won't," Brill shot back indignantly. "I don't take orders from junior padawans. Especially half-naked ones who are most definitely up to something."

Realising that he wasn't going to get around this the polite way, Kade got to his feet and glared at the older boy who stood a good foot shorter and was half as broad.

"Are you trying to intimidate me, Kaden?" Brill asked, surprised that he had indeed taken a step back; the boy was significantly larger and more muscular than he was. Still, he was convinced that if it came to a hand-to-hand fight, he'd wipe the floor with the kid. Such was his arrogance.

Kaden rose a brow. "That depends. Is it working?"

Brill shook his head, "Not really."

"Have it your way," said Kaden. And with his dismantled lightsaber rolled safely in his tunic, he stuffed it under his arm and made for the privacy of their room. If Brill refused to leave him be, he would simply go somewhere the other padawan couldn't follow.

Thankfully, he could sense Drex's Force presence in the common room, and being that his master was blind, his lack of tunic would not cause him to be stopped and questioned on the way through.

Drex could sense Kaden return to their room. The boy had a slight air of annoyance about him, but nothing too serious; Drex saw no reason to pursue the matter. His padawan had a right to some privacy, after all, as had he. Besides, he was currently having quite an animated conversation with Henner and Angkat about their recent experiences on Malastare.

At 9.30 sharp, he knocked on their door and entered. "Hello, padawan," he said, pulling off his boots. "How was your evening?"

Kaden had, by now, reconstructed his lightsaber and was twirling the hilt around in his palm when Drex knocked on the door and entered. "Okay, I guess," he said, snapping his weapon back onto his belt. "What do you know about Master Vandab and her apprentice, Brill? Have you ever worked with them before?"

Drex shook his head. "No," he said. "I know Master Vandab only superficially; she was made a padawan when I was on the Council, I think. She might have given the occasional mission report before I gave up my Council seat. I have never met Brill before our mission briefing. Why are you asking?"

"Curious," Kade replied honestly. "He's a real pain in the ass, you know; a real know-it-all. Nafanda told me that he got one of her friends into trouble with her master. I wondered if you had any experience with either of them before. Anyway, what did you do?" he asked and fell onto his bunk.

"I talked to other members of our team," replied Drex. "Hennar and Angkat, mostly. They've been on a lot of undercover missions lately since they're so good at stealth and concealment techniques. As for Brill - you don't have to like him, but we need to work with him. Therefore, try not to antagonise him, please."

"Antagonise him? Me?" Kaden guffawed. "It's going to be the other way round. I'll be very surprised if someone doesn't get sick of him and snot him one." He withheld the urge to say he'd like to do it, as he knew this would not go over well with Drex.

"He might well antagonise you," Drex said mildly, "but I expect you not to retaliate. Nor will you ever, as you phrased it, 'snot him one'. Is that clear?"

Kade glanced up from the bed. Drex's expression was of the 'don't mess with me' sort, and so the boy did not. "Clear," he replied, his tone allowing for a hint of disappointment to bleed through. "Although, you spend five minutes with him and I bet he sends your hair another shade of silver that has nothing to do with your age." Standing, he placed his weapon on his bedside table and pulled off his tunic. It was pocked with little stars of dirt from having been used as a cleaning rag and it would need a wash. He took a shower and exited ten minutes later, clad in a cotton pair of sleep pants. He shivered; somehow space felt cold despite the climate control. "Shower's free unless someone beats you to it." Kade told his master as he entered their room once again.

"Thank you, but I don't need one right now," said Drex. He usually showered in the mornings and after his workouts. He might well have a workout tomorrow, possibly with one of the other masters, he mused.

"Let's do our evening meditation," he told Kaden. "And then it's time for bed for you."

"Alright," the boy replied. He sat on the floor opposite and crossed his legs.

Half an hour later Kade got to his feet and stretched tall. He had always enjoyed meditating with Drex and he conveyed as much across their bond. "Goodnight, Master," he told the man, offering a slight bow, then crawled into his bed. He didn't care what time it was, he was feeling tired; space travel seemed to affect him more than he'd expected.


	4. Chapter 4

Three days passed by, with a lot of mission planning, language instruction, lesson preparation, a few workouts and little spare time. For some reason, doing all these things in the confines of a spaceship only made them worse. Nafanda didn't think she had ever been this bored in her life! Several times already, she had been highly tempted to sneak off and test the data chip carrying a copy of "Sith Attacks", a brand new and reputedly awesome game a friend of hers had given her before departure. Technically, it was an illegal copy, and the game was ranked 16+ for graphic violence, but it was also supposed to be the best war simulation game currently in existence. On the evening of their second day, she had met Kaden who was just as bored as she was and had just been about to show it to him when Brill had suddenly popped up, asking what they were doing.

"Nothing," Nafanda had said sullenly, smoothly letting the game chip glide into her tunic pocket. "Why, what are YOU doing?"

"I'm looking for K-2PM," Brill said promptly and a tad smugly. "He promised to help me improve my Ha'en-Shin pronunciation."

"Well, by all means go ahead and find him," Nafanda said a tad maliciously. "Your pronunciation could use the help." Which was true. Nafanda was good at languages while Brill was clearly not, and she knew he resented not being good at something.

Thankfully, before the situation could escalate, Brill's master had come and fetched him for some job or other. By the time they were gone, Nafanda's courage had left her and she kept the chip in her tunic, for now.

Tonight, she and Kaden had agreed to test one of the ship's hologames and, to that purpose, had found themselves an empty cargo hold.

"Wanna see something cool?" Nafanda asked under her breath, checking that nobody was near. She produced the game chip from her pocket and showed it to Kaden, curious to see whether he had heard of it.

"Sith Attacks?" Kaden was impressed! "I'm going to hazard a guess that you didn't get this from the ship's supply," he commented while turning the chip over in his hand; yep, it was the real deal. He grinned at her and looked around the cargo hold briefly to double check that they were alone. He couldn't sense anyone near or approaching which helped him relax a little. The boy knew his master would disapprove: the age restrictions clearly stated both on the chip itself and on the title screen that this game was restricted to 16+ due to graphic violence. Just how badly Drex would disapprove was the question. It was just a hologame. It wasn't alcohol or anything dangerous, the boy reasoned.

He glanced at Nafanda. The girl looked just as keen to try it out as he was. "Our masters might flip a shit if they catch us due to the restrictions, but I'm brave if you are," he said, just in case she didn't know it was restricted. Kaden wasn't the sort to lead another blindly into trouble.

"Sure," Nafanda said eagerly. She had absolutely no doubt whatsoever that her master was not going to be pleased if she found out about this. However, the good thing about having a fairly young and inexperienced master was that she didn't find out about everything, and if she did, she could sometimes be talked out of punishing her padawan all too harshly. There were limits to this strategy; Nafanda had never had much luck at escaping physical discipline where disobedience or neglect of safety rules were concerned, and her master could deal out one heck of a walloping. Where this game was concerned, however, Nafanda thought it might just be possible to remind her of her teenage years and get her to relent a little. Besides, there was no reason they would have to get caught. Unless...

They were in the middle of joining forces in order to destroy the bunch of droidekas who were remote-controlled by the Sith Lord, which would enable them to make it to level two, when Brill's voice piped up behind them: "What are you playing?"

Kaden's brow lowered at hearing Brill's voice, but his concentration did not waver from his task. Over the past few days, the Chalactan padawan had seemed to make a point of being where he wasn't wanted. To be fair, he wasn't a horrible boy, but he was the know-it-all, goody-two-shoes sort that inevitably rubbed Kaden the wrong way. "A game. Now buzz off before you get us shot," Kaden answered dismissively.

Kaden's concentration increased as Nafanda blew the head off one of their pursuers. He turned to provide her with cover as she had just slit the throat of a Wookiee, pulled the tongue out the hole, and was making a run for the main compound where the chief bad guy was waiting for them. As was the next level, and an even tougher boss to defeat.

"Oh? Which one?" interrupted Brill. "It doesn't look like any of the games I've seen in our ship's supplies."

"Brill, if we lose because you won't stop flapping your lips, I am going to be seriously pissed. Go away. Please." The pleasantry was added on as an afterthought; Drex had told Kaden that no matter the provocation, he was not to retaliate where Brill was concerned. Kaden was trying, really, he was…

Brill frowned. It was true, he was always showing up around Nafanda and Kaden. That was because he was bored, too, and hoped to find a way to be included in whatever they were doing. He knew Nafanda did not like him because he had once ratted out her friend, but really, he hadn't meant that friend any harm. How was she supposed to learn and improve herself when she kept getting away with her mistakes? He had hoped Nafanda would have gotten over it and realised he was not all that bad. And he didn't think he had given Kaden any reason to dislike him so far, so this simply wasn't fair!

Brill kept his mouth shut for a minute until the words "Level Two" lit up on the screen, then said: "You could have asked me to play, too."

"You?" Nafanda asked disdainfully. "So you can run to our masters and tell tales?"

Brill frowned. "Why should I? Is this game illegal?

Kaden mentally facepalmed at Nafanda's comment. Well, it was inevitable, he guessed. Brill was standing right there, after all, and once the main screen appeared for level two, the title, classification and disclaimer would all be shown again.

"Of course it isn't illegal. But it's a two person game and we've already started," Kade replied evenly, swiping the controller across his pant leg. The truth was that neither Nafanda or Kaden particularly liked Brill, so the idea of having him around wasn't appealing. Unfortunately, they didn't have much of a choice here. They either stopped playing and were dobbed in, or, they offered Brill a turn and, maybe they were still dobbed in on principle. Who knew.

"Yeah, and besides, this game is probably not rated 14+, is it?" Brill asked shrewdly.

"And what concern is that of yours?" snapped Nafanda.

"Well, I wouldn't want you to break the law," said Brill smugly, snatching the game cover before Nafanda had a chance to react. "16+, I knew it," he said. "Well, I MIGHT overlook this... if you let me play."

"That's blackmail," said Nafanda in disgust. "No wonder you have to resort to such means, since you can't seem to make any friends the normal way."

Brill glared at her. "Well, at least I'm not the one who's gonna get his ass kicked," he ground out.

"Now wait just a moment," Kaden stood, attempting to placate this mess before it got out of hand; he for one did NOT want to end up in the shit with Drex regardless of the depth. "Nobody needs to have their asses kicked. Although, if you decide to tell I will make sure your master knows that the only reason you told her was because we didn't let you join in. I'll wager that you end up getting your ass kicked just as hard."

"Hardly," Brill shot back. "My master would recognise that I made the correct decision, regardless of my motivation."

Kaden rolled his eyes and glanced at his chrono; he had been having a lot of fun playing this with Nefanda and Brill was sucking his will to live. "Look, sit down and be quiet before I'm forced to tie you up and gag you." He pointed to the couch.

Brill laughed, his chest puffing out. "As if you could! And even if you could, you wouldn't dare. You'd be in so much trouble with your master that the illegal game here would pale in comparison."

Kaden lowered his remote to the floor and turned to tower over the older boy. "You wanna test me?"

Seemingly unimpressed, Brill shoved him from his personal space. "Back off before you hurt yourself," he said in a superior tone.

Kaden's patience was beginning to fray at the edges. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths and tried to control his anger. The boy knew that his emotions would be telegraphing to Drex. Sure, Kaden was shielding, but thanks to his congenital blindness, Drex's other senses were heightened. The bond they shared made it even harder to hide anything from him.

"Scared? Thought so. I've come across padawan's like you before. You're full of bluster, hot air and no action when it comes to the crunch. You think you're so great because you can flash that toy you call a saber around with some prowess. Well, from what I've seen, your master doesn't agree. I haven't seen you fight once since you came aboard. He probably doesn't wish to risk dealing with an amputee whilst in hyperspace. Not that you could do much damage with that toy you try to pass off as a saber," Brill snorted.

The air around them prickled with a hint of static. Kaden was no longer deep breathing. He knew that Brill was trying to get a rise out of him. What was worse still was that the welp had succeeded! The right thing to do now was to walk away, find his master and ask for help to release his emotions before they took hold. Unfortunately, Kaden was a fourteen-year-old boy who still had issues with his temper. Among other things. Not that Brill was privy to that information. Kaden reached out and grabbed Brill around the throat, partially choking off his airway. Brill's ectomorph frame made it almost possible for Kade to pick him up this way, but he refrained. After all, he didn't actually want to kill him… Not entirely.

Brill gasped and tried to extract himself from Kaden's grip but, and despite claiming otherwise, he was not very good at hand-to-hand combat and thus had no chance against the taller and heavier boy. He struggled frantically, though, kicking out and gasping for air.

"Hey, stop it," said Nafanda, worried. She was not above "antagonising" other padawans she disliked, but she usually did so with words, not through physical aggression. Right now, she was angry with Brill but that didn't mean she was comfortable with the rage she felt from Kaden. She tentatively put her hand on Kaden's shoulder.

"Just leave him," she said urgently. "He's just pissed that nobody wants to be his friend and that he sucks with a saber. Let's pack up and get going."

Before Kaden even had a chance to react to this, however, Drex and Tiis appeared in the doorway. Drex had been in the middle of a conversation with Tiis when he had noticed a surge of rage from his padawan. Knowing Kaden's temper, he had thought it better to investigate, fast. And Tiis, who felt responsible for every member of their team, had followed.

They both took in the scene immediately, Tiis with his eyes and Drex through his sense of the Force.

"Everybody freeze," Drex ordered. "Except for you, Kaden. You back off."

Kaden was struggling with his temper. He didn't actually want to seriously hurt his fellow padawan, but his temper had been pushed to a point where it was desperately searching for a release, and semi-strangling Brill was helping him squash that urge. He knew in his heart this was wrong. He'd felt this darkness before; this wasn't the actions or feelings of a Jedi. Nafanda's touch helped a little, but it wasn't until he heard Drex's command and felt his presence that he started to win back control over his temper. He dropped Brill immediately, put both hands on his knees and closed his eyes in an effort to stop himself from doing further damage to the boy. He was already in enough trouble and he knew it.

Meanwhile, Brill had grasped at his throat and was gasping for air. Of course, he was going to play this up; Kaden had humiliated him and so Brill was going to do all in his power to make sure Drex tanned the hide right off him. He was also angry. Angry that no one liked him! Angry at the rejection, and most of all, he was angry at himself because it didn't seem to matter what approach he tried; he couldn't make friends. Well, he'd show them! "They started it!" he said quickly, and from a certain point of view, he was correct. "They were playing an illegal game that isn't from the ship's supply, it's probably hers."

"Bantha shit! Listen here, you little turd. I swear to the Force if you don't shut your pie hole I'm going to…"

"Going to what?" Brill challenged, stepping forward. "Deep breathe me into a gruesome death? You're a moron!"

Kaden grit his teeth. The air in the room grew heavy with static and his eyes took on a reddish tinge. He was going to do his block.

Tiis also sensed the anger coming from Kaden. He grabbed Brill by the scruff of his neck and hauled him out of the way lest their youngest attempt throttling him for a second time, or worse… "Be silent!" he scolded, giving him a quick, firm shake that was none too gentle.

Nafanda stuck out her tongue as Brill was ordered to shut up, only to receive the same order from Tiis in a less than tolerant tone.

Drex, in the meanwhile, stepped up to Kaden and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. He sent a wave of calming energy through their bond and said quietly: "Go to our room and meditate. I'll be with you in a moment."

Since she felt that everyone's attention was turned away from her at that moment, Nafanda tried to inconspicuously switch off the game, only to be told by Tiis to leave it as it was.

"If you want to make yourself useful," he said in his expressionless voice, "you can go and fetch your master. And Brill's."

Nafanda sighed. This was an order she was not exactly keen on complying with, but she hardly had a choice.

Kaden looked at Drex, his breaths still long and ragged. "No. I want to explain first." He didn't want to leave Nafanda here to fend for herself whilst he was in his room calming down like a crèche baby.

Tiis frowned, but otherwise ignored Kaden's defiance; Drex was more than capable of dealing with the boy. He did, however, release his hold on Brill and set him back a pace, careful to keep himself between the two boys.

Brill just rolled his eyes. How Kaden had ever been chosen as a padawan learner, he didn't know; he might as well have the word AGRICORP tattooed across his forehead. He gave him a smug expression. He was happy to stand back and watch the show because, apparently, he didn't need to intervene in order to get Kaden into trouble; the boy was doing a good job of that himself.

Drex was not pleased with Kaden's answer at all. They had been through this. Kaden might not be able to control himself when his temper was getting the better of him, and while Drex knew that this had to be addressed, there was little point in punishing his padawan for that fact itself. Kaden had learned, however, to make an effort to avoid such situations, and he had also learned to accept help in controlling himself when it was offered.

Drex leant forward, talking into Kaden's ear in a voice that was low enough not to be overheard by Brill. "Padawan, you will always have an opportunity to explain yourself, and you know it," he said. "In this case, that will be after you have obeyed my instruction, not before. And that instruction is not negotiable. You can either go and meditate, right now, or I can bend you across a crate and spank you until you're ready to obey. I give you five seconds to make that choice."

And that was only because Drex had the feeling that Brill did not deserve the satisfaction of seeing Kaden publicly humiliated, but Kaden did not need to know that.

Although it was expected Drex's ultimatum was not what Kaden wanted to hear. He kicked out at the crate with his boot, but that's where his outburst ended for now. Wordlessly, the boy turned on his heel and strode off. Anger was radiating from his very core.

Indulging his temper like this was not what Drex expected from Kaden, and he was going to make that very clear to his padawan. But only after he had complied with his orders and meditated. There was not much point in talking to him in the middle of a tantrum anyway.

Meanwhile, both Eleena and Triz had long since sensed the disturbance in the Force and had met in the hallway on their way to find their apprentices.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Eleena said, stepping aside as Kaden stormed by her. Both she and Triz were just entering with Nafanda when the boy rudely barged past.

"Move!" was all Kade said in response and continued towards his room.

Triz and Eleena raised their eyebrows, then took in the scene which, at this point, consisted of two less-than-pleased masters, a smug-looking Brill and a 16+-rated holo game screen that Nafanda had not been allowed to switch off. Triz wasn't happy with the smugness in Brill's features at all. She was well aware of his difficulties to get along with others. What was more, she had already talked to Tiis about this. Brill was not going to get out of this as unscathed as he probably thought he would.

"Tell us what happened here," Tiis ordered Nafanda. "Brill, you keep quiet. You can add your point of view later."

Nafanda sighed. "Well," she said awkwardly, "Kaden and I were playing this hologame. We were just finishing level one when Brill dropped in and wanted to play with us. We, uh, I mean, we had already started and there is no option to add a third player, so he got mad at us because he couldn't play. We might have told him to leave us alone and he kind of goaded Kaden by telling him he wouldn't dare do anything against him anyway, or even if he wanted to he wouldn't be able to. He also made fun of the fact that Kaden still has a training saber. Well, Kaden got mad at him and ... you pretty much saw what happened after that."

Drex had the impression that Nafanda was leaving out significant pieces of information here. He hoped her master would butt in. So did Tiis who turned towards Eleena, raising an eyebrow.

"What one-sided rubbish," Brill complained, only to be silenced by a smack up the ear by his master who was now standing behind the boy.

"You were told to be silent. You will have a chance to have your say when Nafanda is finished, and I somehow don't think she is quite done yet."

Now everyone was looking at Eleena, who was the only one looking at her padawan at this moment.

"Padawan, is there more to this than you are telling us?" She suspected there was, given the fact that all in the room could now see the title screen of "Sith Attacks" clearly, but she was giving the girl a chance to come clean of her own volition.

"Ah," Nafanda hedged. "Ummm." Deciding that it was only a matter of time until she was either forced to come clean or Brill ratted them out, she decided to plunge ahead.

"The game we were playing is ranked 16+," she admitted. The fact that it was an illegal copy really needn't be brought up at this point, she decided. If she was made to own up to her own wrong-doings, though, she might as well mention Brill's. "Brill noticed it and he tried to blackmail us into letting him play," she continued. "He threatened to tell on us. That was among the things that upset Kaden so."

Nobody seemed particularly surprised by this piece of information.

"Just to get the complete picture," said Tiis. "When you told Brill he could not play, you did so politely and courteously, as a fellow padawan deserves to be treated?"

Nafanda groaned. "Well, if you have to ask," she said a tad flippantly, "I treated him like I would treat any person who tells tales on his peers. – Kaden made more of an effort, actually," she added in a slightly humbler tone of voice.

"Mind your tone," Eleena scolded in response to Nafanda's flippant reply. "So, knowing that you weren't old enough to play this game, you and Kaden tried to hide it by coming down here. Then, when Brill caught you both, you were rude to him." She turned to Brill. "Do you have anything to add to this?"

"Yes. I was going to tell my master even before they told me I couldn't play. I guess I did try to blackmail them, too. But..." He stopped as he wasn't keen on admitting to all and sundry that he just wanted friends!

Eleena turned back to her padawan. "Where did you get this from? It wasn't on board; that much I know."

Tiis shook his head to validate Eleena's words. All the games on board were restriction-free.

"Well, obviously I brought it," Nafanda said, rolling her eyes at what she perceived as a stupid question. "And we would be a lot less rude to Brill if he worried about his own business, instead of telling tales on others."

"I suggest you leave it to me to critique Brill's behaviour," Triz said in a foreboding tone. "It seems to me that you have enough to worry about as far as your own behaviour is concerned." That said, she was going to have a serious talk with Brill because her padawan simply had to learn that his attitude was impossible.

"Well," said Tiis. "If this is all, I suggest you all talk to your padawans about the incident and see to it that they will make more of an effort at getting along with each other than they have done so far. I will confiscate the game for the time being. Did you bring any others, padawan Nafanda?"

Nafanda shook her head mutely. Tiis thought her behaviour when confronted with a misdeed was deplorable, but he would leave it to her master to address this.

Drex did not catch the headshake, of course, but from the others' lack of reaction he assumed that the answer was no. "I will go and see my padawan now, then," he said calmly. Bowing slightly, he left the cargo room and headed for their quarters. He hoped for Kaden's sake that the boy had used his time to pull himself together and meditate.

Eleena was not at all pleased with Nafanda's attitude. Frankly, it stunk, and she was planning to put a stop to it. "Come on," she told her padawan, "You can tell me about this in our room. We need to talk about a few things." Eleena exited towards their room, her expectation clear that Nafanda was to follow; and follow the girl did, her head hanging.

Brill, for his part, had remained silent. There was a lot he wanted to say but he guessed by the expression on his master's face that any more talking would be done in their room also.

"Excuse us, please," Triz said to Tiis, who was the only remaining person in the room. She took Brill by the arm and led him from the room.

Tiis shook his head; whether in exasperation or amusement, it was hard to tell from his expressionless face. Then he went to join Devra in the cockpit.


	5. Chapter 5

Kaden could not hear what was going on down the hallway from his room. He had tried for a while to eavesdrop; he didn't want to leave Nafanda to face this alone, but neither had Drex given him a choice. He kicked his boots off, enjoying the satisfying thud they made as they hit the wall, and knelt. He was too angry to meditate, which was why he had to meditate, he knew. After a few minutes, he managed to calm himself down enough to enter a light meditative trance. He had not been at this very long when Drex entered. Kade jumped to his feet and crossed his arms. "Can I tell you what happened now?" he asked. His tone still carried a hint of irritation, but it was nothing like the outright rage he'd felt earlier.

"No, you get to meditate until you are able to talk to me calmly and respectfully," Drex replied serenely. He pulled off his own boots and knelt to face Kaden, gesturing for him to do the same.

"What?" Kaden said, bewildered. "I am calm, and what part of that question was disrespectful?"

"You might be calmer than before, but that doesn't mean you're calm," Drex said. "And given the circumstances, you may well leave it to me to ask questions. When I'm ready to. Now do as I told you."

Kaden wasn't amused. He frowned, deeply! Nevertheless, he knelt opposite as bade because to do otherwise would only end in more trouble. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy meditating with Drex, it was to the contrary; the man's presence was soothing especially so when he felt like this. Unfortunately, he also wanted to have his say, and being denied this and ordered around was grating on him. The feeling began to ebb as he released his frustrations into the Force, and with that came the guilt. Fuck, he'd actually throttled the kid…

Drex sensed that Kaden was not only calming down, but actually gaining some perspective on the situation. That was exactly the reason for which he had insisted on this meditation, whether Kaden agreed with him or not. He continued the meditation for a good while before signalling to Kaden to resurface from his trance.

"Alright," he said. "Now you may tell me what happened. And if you have any insights on where you might have done something differently, those would be very welcome, too."

Finally, he thought. "Nafanda and I were playing Sith Attacks. Yes, I know it's age restricted. That's why we were trying to keep it away from everyone." Kaden cleared his throat unnecessarily, but continued. "Brill saw it. We told him to go away but he wouldn't listen. He said that if we didn't let him play, he was going to rat us out." The boy went on to detail exactly how he'd tried to control his temper but Brill had continued goading him right up until he couldn't control it anymore. "I wasn't trying to seriously hurt him. I was just so ANGRY. Nafanda attempted to calm me down, but I didn't want to calm down. I wanted to throttle him!" Kaden looked down at his hands. They were no longer shaking with rage as they had been earlier.

"I can imagine," Drex said dryly. "Maybe you could think of this the next time you feel compelled to complain about not having been allowed to build your own saber yet."

That comment went down like a lead balloon. "If I'd actually built my saber he couldn't have used that as ammunition to make me angry in the first place! I'm sick of it. Everyone else has their saber except me. How am I supposed to feel!" he griped.

Drex chose to ignore this little outburst, which he felt he rather deserved, in favour of more pertinent questions. He asked solemnly: "What could you have done differently in the situation? And I'm not talking about playing a game that is rated 16+ here."

Kade wanted to say 'squeeze tighter' but decided against going down that path. "I don't want to do this. Why do you always make me tell you what I did. Don't you think I feel bad enough already?" It wasn't really a question so he continued: "Brill's an ass, and I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Drex held up his hand in a bid for silence.

"Astounding," he remarked. "Here you are, in deep trouble already, and yet you manage to give me a reply that's unacceptable on so many levels that I will not even start spelling them out. Obviously you are disinclined to have a reasonable discussion about this. We will do this in a different way, then."

He rose and crossed over to his bunk on which he sat down. "Bare your bottom and get over my lap," he ordered. "As soon as you have a sufficiently sore bottom, you will sit down and write me an answer to the question I asked you, and you will not get up before the answer is to my satisfaction. We can continue our discussion after that."

Kade opened his mouth to retort but closed it again at seeing Drex sit, just so, on the edge of his bunk. He knew what that meant. He swallowed. Then, sure enough Drex uttered the dreaded command and the boy's expression went from pensive to piteous. "No, Master, anything but that. It was just a game, and I'm sorry that I lost my temper," he tried in a far more subdued tone, although he had already begun to unbuckle his belt.

"The apology comes a little too late," Drex replied, unfazed. "We're on a mission and that means I won't compromise on the expectations I have of you. You will need to learn that there are situations in which your backtalk is uncalled for. Oh, and just for the record: this is not your punishment for whatever occurred between you, Brill and Nafanda. This is just for your unreasonable way of dealing with it. I would much prefer to discuss this with you in a way that does not involve putting you across my knee, but you're obviously not interested, so I will just have to get through to you some other way. I'm waiting."

After all, Drex thought, Kaden had given him little but disobedience and arguments ever since Drex had entered the cargo hold. His padawan most definitely ought to know better than that.

"What!" Hearing that this punishment had nothing to do with the mess Brill caused was humbling. Kade tossed his saber and belt onto the small desk forcefully and dropped both his trousers and undershorts to mid thigh. "I _AM_ interested! I'm interested in anything that doesn't involve this! Please..." he tried one last time as he leant across the man's knees. In his opinion he was far too old, not to mention, BIG, for this method of discipline! Yeah, when would anyone inform Drex of this fact? Obviously, it did him no good mentioning it.

"Padawan, you've had your chance," said Drex quite calmly. He tilted Kaden forward a little and without further preliminaries brought his hand down on his bottom twice, hard.

"When I ask you to discuss your misbehaviour with me, I'm not doing it to torment you," he informed the boy, punctuating his words with further swats. "I'm doing it to help you avoid a repeat occurrence. You will reflect on your behaviour for as much and as long as I tell you. Refusing to do so will only end you up over my knee."

With this, he ended the lecture and increased the rate of swats significantly.

Suddenly Kaden wanted to talk more than anything! Force, he'd talk about all of his misgivings if it would somehow get him out of this position. He hated it, truly he did; it made him feel like a five-year-old. "Yes, I know! I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he offered. The words were strained and it was clear that he was making an effort not to cry out. This wasn't enough to bring the boy to tears, at least not yet, but neither was Drex messing around here. It hurt.

This was a point at which Drex was not interested in apologies. He was very much focussed on dealing out hard, rapid-fire swats, and they all landed in the same place, which was the exact spot on which Kaden would have to sit. Drex knew this was much harder to bear than evenly spreading the swats around, but that was rather the point.

Drex might not want to hear apologies, but that didn't stop Kade from uttering them. Hell, anything to stop him from having his ass completely and utterly roasted was worth trying! The boy hissed, grunted and eventually yelled out with each smack. He wasn't going to be able to take much more of this without losing his shit.

Since this was not even the start of Kaden's actual punishment, Drex did not want to overdo it. The main aim was to make sitting more than a little uncomfortable for Kaden. Hopefully, that way he would realise, the next time they had this discussion, that talking about things was much preferable to writing about them on a sore bottom.

Drex ended the spanking with a flurry of hard swats to the same spot he had kept targeting during most of the spanking. He then hauled Kaden up from his lap and, without losing a beat, told him calmly and firmly: "Now grab a data pad, sit down at the desk and write down what you should and could have done differently. I'm not talking about your temper here, I'm talking about the things that happened before and after you lost it. I expect a full report, not a list. Now get to it."

Kaden scrambled to his feet as Drex hauled him upright. His ass was blazing and despite feeling that he was far, FAR too old for this, the boy was sniffling. Head down, he grunted his compliance, quickly yanked up his shorts and sat. Fuck, it hurt! the boy thought as his ass met the unyielding surface of their only chair. Why couldn't it have been padded, was another thought that crossed his mind. Not that these thoughts had time to manifest as he was presented with a data pad…

Kaden squirmed around on that chair for a good twenty minutes before producing what he believed to be a satisfactory effort. "Can I get up now? Please." Sure, he'd experienced far worse in his time, but that didn't mean this didn't hurt. It did!

Drex took off his headphones that he had used to listen to another part of their enormous mission briefing. "No, you may read to me what you've written," he replied from where he was sitting on the floor, leaning against his bunk with his legs stretched out. "When I think it's satisfactory, you may get up."

The look on Kaden's face spoke volumes, not that Drex could see it. His jaw twitched but he remained seated as ordered, because disobeying now would be nothing short of suicidal and he knew that. He read his report, then summarised: "Nafanda and I tried to hide the fact that we were playing an age-restricted game from everyone so we wouldn't get into trouble. Then, despite knowing better, I allowed Brill to goad me into losing my temper and I attacked him." His jaw squared at that confession as he did feel guilty for doing that, despite thinking Brill deserved it. Kaden knew that wasn't his decision to make. "I questioned your orders to return to our quarters, and…" he paused. He didn't want to talk about it. He hadn't then and he didn't now. "I wasn't forthcoming when you asked me about it," he settled on.

Drex gave the report his undivided attention while Kade presented it, then nodded.

"Alright," he said. "You may get up if you like. Now, let's talk about the aspects you mentioned one by one. First, you played an age-restricted game. As a consequence, there will be no more hologames during this trip, and that includes the ship's games. Any questions so far?"

If I like!? Drex had to be kidding. The boy got to his feet as fast as he could without making it look rushed. No easy feat! "No," he replied. The idea of being banned from hologames for the rest of the trip rankled, but even in his current state he couldn't deny that he had earned that much.

Drex really had no intention to make a big deal out of what was a minor offense and one that practically all padawans engaged in. If one of them was stupid enough to be caught, they received a punishment of some sort because no Jedi master wanted to give the impression that it was alright to break the law, but none of them were particularly fussed either. Still, Drex new that for Kaden, being forced to endure the rest of the trip without the distraction of hologames was more than a mere token punishment.

That topic closed, Drex said: "Alright, what's next?"

Kaden didn't need to look at his data pad to answer that; he knew what he'd done wrong. That didn't mean he wanted to talk about his failings. "I lost my temper and," he shifted uncomfortably, "I retaliated against Brill. He did push me first though," Kade felt compelled to mention, because it was TRUE and he wanted to make sure Drex knew that he had been retaliating and hadn't started it.

"Yes, I have no doubt that his master will be talking to him about that," Drex said. "He is not my concern. You are. Now, what might you have done to avoid getting into a situation where you lost your temper? Besides not doing anything illegal that would enable others to blackmail you, of course."

This was exactly what Kaden hated. He hated having to restate his mistakes and then suggest alternative ways in which he should have acted; it made him feel stupid to admit he had been wrong in the first place. The boy huffed, crossed his arms about his chest and frowned; it might be a necessary step in order for him to learn the lesson Drex wanted to teach him, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy the process. "I could have walked away when I felt my temper was taking over, found you and asked for help to deal with my emotions instead of letting Brill get to me," he said grudgingly; this was hard for him.

"Yes, you could have done that," Drex agreed. "Then why didn't you?" He could sense the resentment in Kaden, but he was not going to cut this short. It was important; all the more so if Kaden ever wanted to handle a real saber.

"Because,–" Kade lowered his gaze and gritted his teeth. "I didn't want him to know he got the better of me, and it looked better and was easier to take my temper out on him than to go running to you for help," the boy admitted. Kade couldn't meet his master's gaze. Instead, he concentrated on the wall to the right.

"So it was your pride that led you to give in to your anger," Drex said. "You know that is unacceptable. And I really suggest you learn from this because I will not allow you to build a saber as long as you make so little effort at avoiding situations in which your temper will get the better of you. In this case, you half-throttled Brill. I will not go into this because I know you did not have your anger under control at the time. And that was precisely why I sent you to meditate after I had entered the room. Can you explain to me what you thought you were doing when you refused to obey that order?"

"Little effort? Little effort!" Was he kidding? "I made a HUGE effort. Force, the little turd is lucky I didn't snot him one," Kaden blurted, although a second later regretted it; Drex was never going to let him build his saber at this rate.

The boy blew out a long, frustrated, pained breath. "I didn't want to meditate because I didn't want to leave Nafanda to explain this by herself, and I didn't want to look like a crèche baby being sent off to meditate because I lost my temper. Brill already teased me about not having a lightsaber, and that would have just made it worse."

"Unfortunately, this kind of prideful behaviour is not going to buy you any favours, nor is it going to make you look as mature as you would like to appear," Drex said, and as rebukes went, coming from him, this was a rather scathing one. "I believe you that you made some effort to avoid a confrontation, although it obviously was not enough of an effort, but what I am even more unhappy with is your behaviour when you were caught out. You refused to obey me; you only did so when threatened, but with a huge attitude; and when I tried to talk to you about it, you had the nerve to complain. I have addressed that last point already, but that spanking covered neither your pride nor your disobedience and disrespect. As to the first point, you will spend the rest of the journey meditating on the dangers of pride for one hour every evening; and possibly after our arrival, too, if we can make the time. As for your disobedience and disrespect, those will only ever buy you one consequence. Go and bring me my hairbrush."

Just like in their quarters at home, the hairbrush was in their refresher. Drex knew that Kaden knew its place.

Kaden winced at Drex's comments, the kid's gaze lowering further as each point was made until the boy was focussing on the floor and feeling suitably ashamed of himself and his behaviour. Wordlessly, he strode for their refresher and, sure enough, sitting on the vanity adjacent to his toothbrush and face washer was that dreaded brush. He picked the horrid thing up, wincing at the weight. He stood there for as long as he could get away with before turning and almost colliding with a bleary-eyed, stiff-legged Brill. Kaden immediately tried to hide the brush behind his back; the last thing he wanted was for Brill to have the satisfaction of knowing how he was going to be disciplined. Though, if looks were anything to go by, the wiry teen had not come out of this mess entirely unscathed, either.

For once, Brill's uncanny ability to show up exactly where he was unwanted did not really inconvenience either boy; they were both in the same boat, it would seem. "I'm sorry I said those things to you, Kaden. It wasn't very Jedi-like. I hope you don't catch it too badly," Brill said, and he really did mean that. Triz had not gone easy on him either, but unlike Kaden, Brill didn't really care if the other boy knew or not. Catching it badly from one's master and surviving was sometimes viewed as a badge of honor among peers.

"I shouldn't have lost my temper." Kaden replied stiffly. He stopped short of an apology because he hadn't yet reached the stage where he truly felt Brill had been undeserving of his wrath. Giving up any pretence of hiding the brush, he made to move past when Brill placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kaden, I didn't mean what I said. I was just angry and felt hurt that you and Nafanda don't like me. You took your temper out on me physically, whereas I did it verbally. Neither way is better or worse, I think. If it's any consolation I didn't get off lightly."

Kaden nodded curtly, but his expression had softened slightly. He smacked the business end of the brush into his palm and managed a weak smile. "Well, neither will I. Don't sweat it." the boy replied. It wasn't exactly a warm exchange on Kaden's part, but then again, he never had been good at such things.

He left Brill to clean himself up and made his way back down the short corridor to where he knew Drex would be waiting for him. He paused at the door; deserved or not, it was really going to hurt and he didn't want to go in there. He leant into the door, his head thumping gently into the wall as he tried to get his shit together here.

Drex had taken a seat on their only chair and was waiting for Kaden to come back. And he was waiting for quite a while until his padawan finally returned.

"What took you so long?" he asked, holding out his hand for the hairbrush.

Kaden ignored Drex's outstretched hand and sunk onto the bed. "I ran into Brill," he supplied, turning the brush over in his hand. He really didn't want to hand the thing over. "I know that what I did was wrong, but, is there any way–" He looked up, his doleful expression no doubt lost on the man. "– any way at all that I can talk you out of walloping me with this hideous thing? Please?" It was a long shot, but he was willing to give it a try.

"No, unless you continue stalling in which case I will exchange it for my belt," Drex said matter-of-factly. "If you don't think that's a good option, then you had better hand me the brush and bare your bottom."

Piteous expression notwithstanding, Kade was on his feet immediately. If there was one thing he did not want to do, it was incur the wrath of his master for fussing over punishment. Not again; he'd done that a few times in the past and it had always ended up worse, far, far worse. Swallowing, Kaden handed over the brush, then moved to stand before Drex. He was only wearing his undershorts so it was regrettably quick to pull them down. He stood there for a moment, rubbed his backside once more for good measure and awkwardly draped himself across the man's lap. "Master?" he hedged, "do you think you can try some other way of doing this? It's just that…" He shifted his weight off his left arm in an effort to distribute it more evenly. "It's not exactly easy for me to hold this while you're, you're…" The boy sighed, he knew where this was going to end. "Never mind."

"You know I have better aim this way," said Drex, unperturbed. He dispensed with warm-ups, seeing as he had already spanked Kaden earlier, and started wielding the brush right away with considerable force. Kaden's behaviour had been unacceptable, even more so for a padawan on a mission; Drex intended to make that very clear to him.

"I don't care whether doing the right thing feels childish to you," he told Kaden while bringing the brush down in forceful swats. "I expect you to do it regardless, instead of acting on your pride."

Unlike his master, Kaden had not taken the spanking he'd already earned into consideration, and subsequently, the boy had not expected to be lit into with such ferocity. Fuck! "Ahh! Far out!" The protest was out before he could stop it, and much to his horror, another was quick to follow. "Ahh'Owuch! Master! I'M SORRY! WAIT!" he complained, more than a touch of desperation to his tone; Drex wasn't fooling around and his ass already stung and burned like a bastard.

"The next time, try for more self-control instead of being sorry afterwards," Drex said, planting two firm swats onto the undercurve of Kaden's bottom. "Or at the very least, obey your orders without raising a fuss."

That message was punctuated with two especially hard swats to the tops of Kaden's thighs. Drex did not care for the kind of reaction Kaden had shown to his master's attempt to help him deal with his anger, and he wanted Kaden to remember this when next he was sent to meditate.

"BUT I _AM_ , AHowwwch! SORRY!" The boy couldn't help it, this hurt and the apologies were heartfelt, even if they were uttered far too late to be effective. He truly was sorry he had disobeyed, even if he hadn't been at the time, and he was now very sorry that he had lost his temper and lashed out at Brill. Kaden hissed, grunted and eventually started to yell in response to each smack. He hated this damned brush! It was truly horrible and had never failed to bring him unstuck. It ought be reported as abusive! Maybe the Temple would ban its use? Maybe they would force Drex to find something that didn't hurt so badly? These were the sorts of things that went through his head at about this stage of a punishment. He drummed his toes on the floor, squintedand gritted his teeth but none of it worked. Eventually, he started to sob.

Drex, however, was quite relentless. He felt he was doing Kaden a favour, even if the boy could not see it right now. His desire to appear as grown-up as possible tended to clash with what he needed to do – and knew to do – in order to prevent those fits of rage that could be outright dangerous. If Kaden needed a strong incentive in order to swallow his pride and back off, then Drex was more than willing to offer that incentive. Which meant that he continued to soundly spank his padawan's upturned bottom with his heavy hairbrush despite the signs of distress that Kaden was displaying.

And distressed Kaden was. He continued to vocalise his displeasure despite trying to take this like a man. That was until eventually he ran out of breath for such things and had no choice but to give into his tears. He tried to keep himself in position, to hold his weight off Drex but that, too, was eventually given up in lieu of panicked escape attempts and tears. It simply hurt too much to be prideful or act adult. Not to mention the fact that the position itself saw to it that Kaden felt anything but! In the end, he lay limp and howled; all attempts to take his punishment with dignity had gone to hell in a handbasket. Now it was every padawan for themselves.

Drex certainly had no interest in encouraging Kaden to act like an adult, and his punishments reliably made it impossible for his padawan to do so. This time was no exception. When Kaden fell limp across his lap, Drex meted out a solid dozen more hefty swats before finally putting the hairbrush aside and waiting for the boy to realise that the spanking had actually ended.

Those last dozen truly lifted the boy. He yowled loudly, sounding not dissimilar to a wounded acklay as each swat added another level of urgency to his wailing. It took Kaden a few seconds to realise Drex had stopped, but when he did, the boy started to pull himself together. Well, at least he tried to. He got to his feet stiffly and pulled up his shorts, all the while trying to stop his breaths from catching in his chest. It wasn't easy. "C-can. I. go. to," he stammered unintelligibly through his sobs. Unfortunately for Kaden, given their tight living quarters the boy had nowhere to retreat! Where could he go to? Their refresher was too public. The cockpit? No way! Thus, he went to his bunk, lay face down and buried his head in his pillow. At least, this way he didn't have to look at Drex and he could hide while he tried to pull himself together.

Drex wasn't quite sure whether to sigh or to smile at Kaden's desperate attempt to "take it like a man". His adolescent pride was getting in his way in more ways than one.

He knelt next to Kaden's bunk and rested his hand onto his padawan's back. "There is nobody watching," he said kindly. "You're entitled to accept some comfort every once in a while, you know. If you'd rather meditate, though, I'll be happy to help."

Oh no. Don't do that, just, argh! Kaden sniffled once and then the dam broke, again! He leant his head into his master's side and sobbed. It wasn't that he didn't want Drex's comfort; he did. It was just hard for him to accept it after the man had put such effort into making him hurt. "I'm sorry, master," he managed after he'd calmed down a little. Because he honestly felt bad about the mistakes he'd made, not to mention his lack of bravery when it came to accepting the repercussions.

"Apology accepted," said Drex gently. He simply continued to sit and hold Kaden until the boy had stopped crying, then said: "You will have to make things up with Brill somehow, Padawan. You don't have to like him, but you will have to get along with him. You are on a mission together, after all."

Kaden swiped a sleeve under his nose and rubbed his eyes. How being spanked could reduce him to such a mess, the boy didn't know. It was like his master had some sort of secret weapon that was designed specifically to bring him unstuck. He never used to react this way, not even when his crèche master, K'Mi had stung him with that horrible stick of hers. Sure, he'd cried but he'd never dissolved into a howling wreck. Maybe because it didn't seem as personal then as it did now… These thoughts tumbled around in his head for a moment as he continued to pull himself together. "Did you ever cry when your master disciplined you?" he asked planly, lifting his head from Drex's shoulder. Somehow he couldn't imagine his tough master had ever cried. Could he even cry? Kaden looked into his sightless eyes, the question going unasked for the moment.

Drex smiled. "Yes, I did," he replied. "Very much so, and even when I was much older than you are now. You needn't be ashamed, Kaden. Spankings can hurt a lot, both physically and emotionally. You are entitled to cry. And since nobody but me is watching, there is no need to be embarrassed."

This made Kaden smile, too, if only a little; his ass was seeing to it that his sense of humour remained buried for at least another couple of hours. Hearing that Drex had reacted similarly made him feel a little less like a baby. After all, his master was the toughest Jedi in the temple as far as he was concerned, and if he cried, then surely it was okay for him to do so as well, right? Try as he might, he simply couldn't imagine Drex ever being in that situation. Nope, the idea was utterly preposterous! "So… About that extra hour of meditation. How long are you going to make me do that for? And," he shifted his weight for the umpteenth time since kneeling, "does it have to start tonight?"

"Yes, it does," Drex replied. "I'll give you some bacta when you're done. We can meditate together if you prefer; it's up to you. For how long I will make you do it depends a lot on your behaviour in the coming days. If you manage to pull yourself together around Brill, you'll be doing yourself a big favour."

Kaden nodded, then verbalised for Drex's sake. "Oh," he sighed. He had been hoping that, given the state of his ass, Drex would spare him tonight. But if he was given bacta, that excuse would no longer fly. "Brill did apologise to me. I guess I should probably do the same." Again, this was something Kaden had trouble with; his adolescent pride causing him to feel indignant, even though he had been in the wrong also. "Can I go now?" he suggested. He wasn't exactly in a rush to start meditating.

"To apologise?" asked Drex. "Yes. I give you ten minutes. After that, I want you to start on your meditation."


	6. Chapter 6

Kaden left their quarters, still a little surprised to have been granted permission. He spent a good five minutes pacing the common room floor and nursing his ass. He wasn't very good at the whole apology thing and it was taking him some time to work up the courage to seek out Brill.

As fate would have it, Brill entered just as Kaden was about to seek him out. He looked over at Kaden, but said nothing. He'd already made his peace with his peer, after all.

Kade, for his part, noticed that Brill didn't look much better than he had earlier, nor did he seem inclined to start up a conversation. Well, he could hardly blame him, so Kaden took the initiative. He cleared his throat as much out of necessity as to signify to Brill that he was going to start talking. "Hey, about what happened. Look, I'm sorry, okay?" It was a pretty pathetic effort but it was better than nothing at all.

Brill shrugged. He could tell from the boy's red-rimmed eyes that he hadn't gotten off scot-free. Not that he harboured animosity towards either Nafanda or Kaden. Brill was good like that: he never held a grudge, and given his less than stellar people skills, that was probably a good thing.

"Thanks. I'll try not to be such a know-it-all. I don't mean to be. It just, I don't know, happens. My master says I must learn to think before I speak if I want people to like me. I'm trying." Brill managed a weak smile that Kaden returned, but said nothing more.

Anyway, Kaden was almost out of time thanks to his procrastination. It was a good excuse to end what felt like an awkward conversation to him. What else could he say?

* * *

Nafanda had been escorted to their quarters by her unusually unhappy-looking master. It was all Brill's fault, she thought in irritation. If he wasn't such an interfering pain-in-the-ass, none of this would have happened! And she'd still have her game, of course.

Eleena sat down on her bed in the room she shared with Nafanda. She levelled the girl with a semi-stern expression. Like Drex, she did not think that playing an illegal game was such a big deal. In fact, she didn't know many padawans who had not tried that one at some point during their apprenticeship. What concerned Eleena more was the way in which her padawan had handled the situation, her flippant manner and her treatment of Brill, but they would get to that. "Firstly, tell me who or where you got the game from," she began without preamble.

"Well, like I said, from a friend," Nafanda said defensively. "And she's sixteen already, so she's allowed to buy that game."

Which was true. Her friend had, of course, not been allowed to make copies of it and hand them to younger padawans, but Nafanda considered that a mere technicality.

"What is your friend's name?" Eleena pressed, ignoring the defensive tone of voice.

"Aww, come on," Nafanda complained. "Do you have to make me rat her out? Master Tiis took the game from me anyway, so what's the big deal?"

Eleena was tempted to roll her eyes, but again, what padawan wanted to rat out a friend? Still, this wasn't acceptable and she said as much. "The big deal is she gave you a copy of a game you are not old enough to play. That was not only illegal, it was irresponsible, and her master will want to know. Her full name, please, and lose the attitude," she warned calmly but with an expression signalling that she was becoming increasingly displeased.

"Chin Delawy," Nafanda said reluctantly, recognising the expression. She figured she was in trouble already, so it was probably not a good idea to exacerbate it. Since her master was not the strictest of masters and Nafanda had not really been part of the altercation between Kaden and Brill, maybe, she mused, she would get out of this with a reprimand or a fairly mild punishment. Better not risk her chances of that happening over something that would eventually happen anyway.

"Thank you, padawan," Eleena said, committing the name to memory and making a mental note to contact the Temple when they exited hyperspace. "I think a ban on hologames for the rest of this trip will suffice as punishment for ignoring the law in this case," the Twi'lek announced, completely oblivious to the fact that Drex had imposed the same consequence for Kaden. It was fortunate for them that they only had another few days to go…

Nafanda pulled a face at hearing about the ban on hologames, but did not comment. After all, it was to be expected; that kind of consequences was what you usually earned for being stupid enough to get caught. Although, she thought indignantly, there had absolutely not been any reason to get caught, other than Brill's self-righteousness and malice!

"Now, I want to talk about your behaviour towards Brill which apparently was not very comradely," continued Eleena. "I don't expect you to like him, but your personal feelings do not give you carte blanche to be impolite to the kid. As a Jedi, you will be working with all sorts of personalities. some will be pleasant and some will be downright insufferable. Unfortunately, that is part of the job description and apparently something you still need practice with. I don't want to hear, or see for that matter," recalling the girl sticking out her tongue, "that you've been rude to anyone. There is no need for it. If you are having problems with a person that can't be resolved peacefully between yourselves, then you come and see me or another adult. Understand?"

"But, master!" Nafanda said hotly. "He was the one who started it, he even threatened to tell on us! And you expect me to be nice to him? Or go and fetch you? How was I supposed to explain to Kaden that I need to tell my master about the whole affair so I don't have to be rude to Brill?"

"At this point, I don't care who started it," Eleena replied, frowning. "And yes, that is exactly what I expect you to do. You shouldn't have been playing that game in the first place and you know it. Had you stuck to the rules, Brill would have had nothing to blackmail you with and nor would you have been forced to explain anything to Kaden, or myself for that matter." She leant forward, closing the space between herself and Nafanda. "You _will_ be polite to Brill and leave critiquing his behaviour to Master Vandab. If you refuse to obey, I can always provide you with a more serious brand of motivation. The choice is yours," she said and met her padawan with an expectant expression.

That was not much of a choice, but Nafanda was smart enough not to voice that thought loudly. "Yes, master," she said with an air of resignation. She supposed she was going to have to make more of an effort around Brill – at least when adults were around… Nafanda still had a great deal of difficulty to let go of her grudges, and she had a big one against Brill!

Placated, Eleena nodded at the response. "I think an extra half an hour of meditation each night will help release the frustrations this mission is causing you, starting right now. I will help you if you want," the Twi'lek offered. She enjoyed meditating with Nafanda and hoped that introducing this extra time would help refocus the girl.

Nafanda sighed. Well, she supposed she ought to be thankful that this didn't rob her of an opportunity to play hologames since those had been banned anyway. "Thank you, master," she said. "I would like that."

Eleena smiled, took her padawan's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Come on," she said, and after laying out a mat, the two sat to meditate.

* * *

The next couple of days went by relatively smoothly. Brill, Nafanda, and Kaden refrained from strangling each other. Indeed, each padawan seemed to be making an effort… some more than others. Kaden, for his part, had tried to stay away from Brill, but had little trouble being polite when they were forced together for one reason or another, because Force knew one encounter with his master's hairbrush was more than enough for one trip.

Kaden poked his head around the door of their room to find Drex lying back casually on his bed with earphones in and a data pad in hand. "Half an hour until we land," he told him when Drex removed the ear buds. "It will be good to get outside again," the boy added. He sat on Drex's bed, causing the man's legs to roll into his side.

Drex sat up and smiled in Kaden's general direction. "It will," he agreed. "Don't you want to help Tiis with the landing? Or did he shoo you away?"

In fact, Drex had gained the impression that Tiis, without ever indicating it all too clearly, had taken a liking to Kaden and did not mind having him around when navigating the ship.

"Nah, he didn't, and, yeah, I do, but I thought I'd come and tell you the good news first and," he paused. "Ask you if it was alright if I helped Tiis. I guess I have my answer," the boy said through a smile and took off towards the cockpit.

Tiis indeed didn't mind having the boy around. He was a pain in the ass at times but knew his way around a cockpit and appeared to have an interest in learning. This time, he allowed Kaden to pull them from hyperspace, set the landing coordinates and pilot them through the three main layers of atmosphere this blue and green planet possessed. It wasn't until they entered regular shipping lanes that Tiis took the controls.

The smile on Kaden's face at having gotten them this far without a mistake showed that the boy was on a high. He couldn't wait to tell Drex that he'd done it pretty much by himself. That was until they entered the docking bay and Tiis turned his attention on his student. "Good. Next time, focus on the Force as well as your instruments." He had noticed that Kaden relied on his other senses quite a bit when it came to the finer points of piloting. It was something he was sure Drex was aware of.

"Man, seriously. Admit it, that was better than just 'good' for my first time in a real ship," Kaden guffawed, unstrapping himself from the co-pilot's seat. The boy was going to have problems getting his head out the door at this rate.

"You might want to work on arrogance and overconfidence while you're at it," was all the response Kaden's comment garnered from Tiis. Again, Kaden swore that he noticed a slight smile on the man's face. Who knew. It was hard to tell with Iktotchi as they were such a guarded, isolationist race. Hell, even most temple raised Iktotchi had a tendency to be stoic.

Unfazed, Kaden strode from the cockpit to find Drex in the midst of the rest of their mission team, carrying both their packs and waiting for him at the ramp as it lowered. Kade was proud of himself and not bothering to hide it.

"I take it you got to fly and it went well," Drex remarked, handing Kaden his pack. "Good. Now focus on our mission."

Kaden recognised the question as rhetorical, but maintained his smug expression as he accepted his pack. He did, however, acknowledge Drex's orders with a slight nod of his head, followed up across their bond.

The door opened to reveal a delegation of eight Ha'en-Shin.

The population of the planet was humanoid. They walked on two legs and had about the size and build of humans, if maybe a little more slender. Their body was covered in lush hair in a variety of colours ranging from black to grey, brown, reddish and white. They also sported tails which gave them a feline appearance. Ha'en-Shin were jet black and tended to look down upon races whose fur had a lighter colour. They also had particularly pointed ears; while all people on the planet had ears that resembled a cat's, there were slight differences in shape.

The delegation leader stepped forward, introducing herself as Tanayen-an-Shin, the head of the diplomatic corps. "Welcome to Tnangan-at-Val. Our capital region of Mashen is honoured to host your arrival," she spoke, her words promptly translated by a protocol droid who helpfully added that Tanayen-an-Shin's name revealed that she came from a family of the highest social strata; only those were allowed to carry the epithet "an-Shin".

The Ha'en-Shin were quite striking, at least to Kaden's eye. For reasons he couldn't explain, the boy had a soft spot for furry, feline beings. It was something he had first noticed while working with Anyara, a Cathar girl whom he had befriended after a mission class on Manchana. He followed behind his master who, as usual, had no problems negotiating the ship's ramp or sensing the beings around him. When Drex stopped beside Tiis and Devra, Kaden remained a step behind until it was his turn to greet the delegates, then did as the others had.

The greetings over with, Tanayen-an-Shin led the delegation towards a waiting shuttle, explaining that it would take the Jedi to their guest quarters. She was going to accompany them in order to personally make sure they were comfortable. They would then have a bit of time to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings before the formal reception.

Kaden tried to take in every detail as they walked. The place was a lot greener than Coruscant, he mused as they passed a large stone water feature with vines growing from the crevices. This was one of many such decorations that dotted their path towards the guest accommodation.

"Not bad as far as cities go," Angkat whispered to his master as they exited the shuttle. The Ithorian boy had been on more missions than he could count and always tried to appreciate a planet that was more (or less as the case may be) than buildings and durocrete.

"We will leave you to settle in. The reception will begin at six," J-7LI translated for one of the darker-furred Ha'en-Shin delegates who had stepped forward and was now handing swipe cards to each Jedi. According to J-7LI these cards would allow them access to the guest quarters and also contained a large amount of data on Mashen.

"I'm sure it's nothing we don't already know about," Brill commented in a superior tone and flicked his card onto the nearest table dismissively.

Triz picked up the card. "Maybe, but we will look over it all the same. You'll also need it to access the room so don't leave it lying about. Put it with your things."

Brill rolled his eyes but had the foresight to remain silent and accept the card; he really was trying to work on his people skills.

The guest quarters were spacious, consisting of bedrooms for every single one of them and a large dining and meeting room. The rooms seemed rather spartan, but quite comfortable and tasteful. The floors were covered with a type of woven straw mats that were made for walking barefoot. In each room, there was a small rack on the wall and a thick, rolled-up mat that was obviously meant for sleeping. A big trunk held blankets and doubled as a bench. A slide door in one of the walls covered a screen and terminal. There was also a small refresher adjacent to each room; instead of a shower, it featured a kind of bathtub that was big, circular and let into the floor. A small shelf offered a range of herbal soaps.

Drex felt and sensed his way around his room, then fetched Kaden from next door and took him to the meeting room upon Devra's and Tiis' request. When the mission team had assembled there, Tiis explained that the cards they had received were not compatible with their data readers and all the information they contained was in Ha'en-Shin, so it would have to be explained by the protocol droids. As it turned out, it offered quite a bit of new information, especially on culture.

"Drex, I know you are great with music," said Devra. "You study the music part, alright?"

"Alright," agreed Drex. "Kaden, I'm afraid you will need to share in this - there is only one protocol droid between the two of us, so there is no use giving you a different topic. The music itself might not require any translation, but the explanations will."

The standard crèche program aside, Kaden didn't have any specific skill or interest for music. The truth was, the boy was woefully bad. "You know, I once played percussion in crèche, but they booted me off my chosen preference – the drums of course –" he illuminated, "and I wound up dinging a triangle instead." The boy smirked very slightly at the memory of their music master dry-washing his face with a hand; at least, with the triangle, all he had to do was strike it twice when the song was done. He couldn't possibly fuck that up, right? "I screwed that up, too." So it was that he sat down opposite Drex in his master's room, his expression resigned.

J-7LI was standing by, ready to translate the file, answer their questions or interpret lyrics. Whichever came first, the droid didn't mind because she was happy to have this important role.

Drex opened the file and started to play the first song. Well, if you could call it a song? Kade wasn't sure as to him it sounded more like the vocalist was singing a diamante poem with various kinds of flutes and bells going off at random intervals. When it finished, he cleared his throat and tried not to be judgmental. "That was… different," he supplied, and turning his attention to J-7LI, he asked: "What do you make of that?" Then, recalling the last set of questions he'd asked, clarified. "What were the lyrics about and what do you think it means?"

"This is a sample of Ha'en-Shin new-age music," J-7LI began immediately. "The female artist attempts to inspire artistic inspiration, optimism and relaxation in the listener. Her lyrics speak quite descriptively of the elements, specifically; water, earth, air and fire. Each is spoken of in terms of their planetary manifestation. For example rather than sing about water the composer talks about the rain, and instead of air, they describe a gentle, sweet-smelling breeze and so on. Interestingly, there is no mention of anything metaphysical." She pressed repeat and the intro began over. "Many beings believe that spirit is a fifth element, but apparently, the composer of this piece did not wish to add it." As the vocals began, the droid translated after each pause.

When this finished for a second time, Kaden turned to Drex. "Well, Master, you're the muse in this bash. What do you think?"

Drex smiled. "Interesting," he said. "Very mathematical. It must have been composed by an orderly mind; that, or a computer. Reminds me of the Danayesh music style that was very popular on Coruscant a century or so ago. Spiritual, but not religious. Can we hear it again?" While it played, he explained the pattern to Kaden.

The next piece was very different: Loud, fast, with a hammering rhythm. "Dance music," said Drex immediately. "What does the file say? Is it a ritual dance or simply recreational?"

J-7LI studied the file for a moment. "Recreational," she finally replied. "Apparently, it is enjoyed by young people especially. There is a video… this would not help you much, of course."

"Go ahead and show it," said Drex. "Kaden, describe to me what you see."

"Lots of people dressed in brightly-coloured street clothing stamping their feet on the ground repeatedly and jumping around, but in time with each other and the beat. They come close enough to hug and then twirl each other around before moving away again. Only this time, when they move apart, they start banging their heads up and down." Kaden watched for a moment longer, then continued. "They appear to be having a good time. They're all smiling, some laughing," he narrated. "One pair has moved onto a raised platform."

And so it continued. They went through at least ten different songs and videos, each with a unique style that, despite Kaden's disinterest in music, he actually found mildly enjoyable. Perhaps it was the joy Drex took out of it that made it more so for Kaden.

Later that evening, they were getting ready for the reception. Kaden was curious enough about these people not to whine about having to sit around and talk. Right now, he was busy trying to scrub toothpaste off his tunic so he didn't have to change. "Stupid," he grumbled to himself when he looked at his reflection only to see there was now a huge wet mark in the centre of his chest. "Great!" Still grumbling, he exited his refresher and started rummaging through his bag for a clean tunic that was not too wrinkled. He was supposed to be ready already!

Drex knocked on Kaden's door. "Are you ready?" he called. "Take your cloak. I hear they set up the reception in a pavilion in the park and it's going to be cool once the twin suns have set."

"Coming!" Kaden yelled, his voice muffled from the tunic he was pulling over his head. He grabbed his cloak and strode out the door. This was going to be interesting.

The Ha'en-Shin seemed to like wide, open spaces. The parks surrounding the small cluster of buildings where they were lodged were huge, spacious and allowed for a nearly unobstructed view of the surroundings: The illuminated city in a short distance to the west, a range of hills to their north, a wide valley with a blue lake in the middle to the east and deep woods to the south. The park itself was mainly made up of lawns and flowery meadows, a few small bushes and very occasionally a copse of trees. The pavilion was situated on top of a hill in the center of the park. The twin suns were just setting; they were hanging huge and orange on the horizon behind the city. Drex, of course, could see none of this, but he had Kaden describe it to him which kept them busy until they had reached the pavilion where a buffet style dinner had been prepared, offering a wide range of strange-looking dishes. A dozen Ha'en-Shin diplomats were waiting for them, curtseying in greeting. Since Drex's sense of their way of greeting was too imprecise to allow for imitation, he responded by bowing to them, hoping they would not take offense.

Kaden knew that due to being blind, Drex flew by the seat of his pants when it came to such things. The boy curtseyed as the others did. Then, quickly and quietly explained to his master what had happened so he might react appropriately if anyone took offense. As it turned out, only a few of the Ha'en-Shin diplomats seemed to notice. The others were far too pleased to have the strange-looking aliens here since they were the first step in their bid for membership with the Republic. One of the darker-furred beings pointed at Drex and spoke in a curious, yet non-aggressive fashion.

J-7LI began to interpret but was cut off by one of the shorter, lightly furred Ha'en-Shin who placed a hand on her comrade's forearm gently before turning her attention towards the Jedi. "He wonders for reason that the tall man with silver eye does not do as him team," she spoke in broken Basic, gesturing to the nine other Jedi.

Kaden was surprised to hear the smaller woman speak Basic; her voice was recognisable as feminine despite the difference in species. Then again, if 90% of the small proportion of Basic speakers on this planet lived in Mashen, it stood to reason that at least one or two of them would be present at such an occasion. He looked to his master, then back at the line of delegates and mentally went through the list of rules J-7LI had rattled off earlier, reciting each in his mind quickly:

Don't be threatening.

Don't talk about weapons or wars.

Don't question their customs.

Don't talk to children without asking.

Don't talk about the Toykin.

Don't be insulting.

Right, he had this thing down… Yeah.

Drex gave the woman a friendly smile. "None of us had any information about your way of greeting before we came to this reception," he said. "My teammates observed what you did and imitated it. I could not do that since I am blind, so I resorted to the way of greeting that is customary among the Jedi."

"What does mean 'blind'?" the woman asked, gazing at the protocol droid for help.

"T'ch'maeli," said J-7LI promptly and proudly.

To Drex's immense surprise, the woman threw herself to the floor, and her companion followed suit. The other Ha'en-Shin – about half of whom, as it transpired, spoke Basic since this was a skill that many members of the diplomatic corps possessed – erupted into questions. Twenty seconds later, the whole Ha'en-Shin delegation were lying prostrate in front of Drex.

When the first two Ha'en-Shin threw themselves to the ground, Kaden reached out with the Force in an effort to figure out what in Hoth they were hiding from. Where? What? He sensed no danger! He started looking around. Firstly he looked straight up, then to the sides and finally at their blind spots. However, when his gaze returned to the now several prostrate beings, it became clear that they were not hiding, but bowing down.

"It seems," Drex said quietly to J-7LI, "that blindness has some kind of special status here. Is there anything specific I have to do in order to make them get up?"

"Regrettably, I have not been informed of this," J-7LI said, and it really did sound regretful.

"In that case, just tell them politely that I do not require devotion and that I kindly ask them to get up," Drex told her.

J-7LI explained the Jedi's words to the prostrate congregation of delegates as best she could, and one by one they slowly began to rise. The woman who had spoken to them first stepped forward, her hand outstretched towards Drex's face as if trying to touch him despite the distance between them. "Sightless possess sixth sense, gifted in ways of the knowing. We honoured by blind Jedi's presence." She paused here and looked strained as she searched for the correct words. "It bring Ha'en-Shin good fortunes for us peoples and, how you say?" she frowned then looked at J-7LI "Ver'pel Tulimun'eu."

"She says that your presence is a good omen in their plight for membership with the Republic," the droid translated, receiving an affirmative from the woman in response.

Kaden remained quietly impassive. He wasn't sure what Drex was going to do about this. Well, at least they didn't think the opposite, the boy mused as a mental picture of being attacked by a raging mob of Ha'en-Shin flitted through his mind. He looked up at Drex, wondering what he would make of all of this.

Brill watched on silently as well, but couldn't keep a smirk from his expression.

Triz was not at all amused. She sent her apprentice a forceful mental rebuke which garnered an immediate response from the boy who was once again poker-faced. This was obviously something these people took very seriously, and to mock them would be asking for trouble.

Meanwhile several of the delegates had moved a little closer and were leaning forward. Apparently, they all wanted to see Drex up close.

Drex stood unperturbed and smiling. He had experienced strong reactions to his blindness several times before, especially among cultures where blindness was uncommon. In one case, when he had been a padawan, his master had had to confine him to his quarters because people refused to talk to her when he was present. That had been a rather horrifying experience; but it was really the exception, rather than the rule. In this case, nothing in their files had prepared them for the Ha'en-Shin's particular reaction to blindness. They would just have to make the best of it.

"Please tell them that I, too, hope my presence will be a good omen for our negotiations," he said. "We will not be the ones making the final decision, but we sincerely hope to be able to facilitate a favorable outcome. And tell them to please feel at ease around me."

"It seems," Devra remarked wryly and quietly while J-7LI translated, "as if it would be a good idea if we all treated you as our delegation leader. Given the way they look at you, they might take offense if they got the impression that you are not the highest-ranking person among us."

"Well, I can't judge the expression on their faces," Drex replied, "but I tend to agree." So did Tiis; he spread the word around quietly. This was an unexpected turn of events, and they would have to make use of it as best they could.

Kaden didn't really mind who was in charge as it seemed that just about everyone ranked above him these days. Still, it was kinda nice that his own master was seen as the superior ranking Jedi among them. For a moment, he wondered if Drex really was. He was the most experienced, and had been on the Council. That had to count for something? The boy wasn't sure how that worked, but before he could ponder it further, they were being led towards a long table that was set with rather elegant tableware for an outdoor reception.

Drex was ushered to the head of the table, and Kaden, being his apprentice, was seated to his right. The food was amazing, at least Kaden thought so. The dishes were each unique in flavour and presentation, and the fruit was like nothing he'd seen before: square bulbs with bright green centres and black skin. It tasted wonderfully sweet and spicy. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. Not only was the food delicious, but the people were good company, too - albeit a little weird. All of this made for a wonderful evening and great start to his first mission. He glanced around at his fellow padawans, each of whom seemed to be viewing the reception in their own way. Brill for instance, looked bored. Conversely, Angkat was engrossed in the conversation that had just begun.

Kade was reaching for his third piece of fruit when J-7LI's voice drew his attention. "Honourable delegate Er'inpish says that he welcomes discussion on the issue of Force-sensitive children on Tnangan-at-Val."

"It be a required of us, for membership, yes?" a female voice added.

Tiis and Devra nodded, but given that they had decided to escalate Drex's status, they paused to give him a chance to respond to the opening of this topic first.

"It is certainly an issue that we would strive to resolve before coming to a membership agreement," Drex agreed politely. "We have very little information, however. We will need to learn more before we can have a meaningful discussion."

The Ha'en-Shin delegates conversed in their language for a while. Then, they turned back towards Drex and said something.

"He proposes to take you to meet someone who is Force-sensitive tomorrow," said J-7LI. "Apparently, that person is blind. He says he will be able to tell you more. That way, you could have a discussion the day after tomorrow."

"That seems like a very sensible proposal," said Drex gravely. "My sincerest thanks."

A women said something more, looking at Kaden, Nafanda and Brill.

"She says it would be better not to take the children," translated J-7LI. "It would be disrespectful. The person you will meet might take objection. We will offer them all our hospitality during the day, of course."

There was a brief pause.

"I will need to talk about this with my team members," Drex said. Tiis and Devra rose and came to stand next to him. Drex beckoned Triz and Eleena over as well. "What do you think?" he asked quietly. "It seems as if it would be considered offensive to insist on taking the junior padawans. Should we leave them to their own devices? Or should one of us stay behind with them?"

Kaden looked surprised, Angkat skeptical, and Brill and Nafanda indignant. Thankfully, it was Devra who spoke up before any questions could be asked. "I believe it would be best to leave someone with a little more experience with the younger apprentices." She turned to Hennar Gale before continuing. "Your padawan is the obvious choice. He's experienced, and if he stays at the guest quarters to supervise the younger ones, that will leave us free to concentrate on the task at hand."

Before Hennar could reply, his Ithorian padawan cut in. "I'm due to be knighted soon and you want me to babysit?" It wasn't really a question so he didn't pause for an answer. "Shouldn't I be learning as much as I can before my trials? These three are old enough to take care of themselves!"

Hennar put a hand on his apprentice's shoulder. "Knowing where you are best needed in order to get the job done is also worth learning before your trials, Padawan," he said mildly. "Angkat will remain with the junior apprentices."

Devra nodded her head as did Tiis.

Kaden, however, frowned.

"We don't need a babysitter. I'm fourteen years old. Nafanda and Brill are both fifteen! Collectively, we're practically prehistoric."

Angkat winced at what he perceived to be a valiant effort on Kaden's part, but seriously lacking in weight. He had no doubt that they'd be staying here tomorrow and he'd be in charge. Great. Just great.

"If you are collectively prehistoric, I wonder whether I got to witness the Big Bang," Drex said, rather amused. "You are staying here with Angkat to supervise, and that's final. Dispense with the arguments, please. They are not likely to buy us any favours with our hosts."

Indeed, the Ha'en-Shin were intensely following the debate, some looking confused and others skeptical.

Again, the boy frowned. However, had to concede that Drex had a point; they were beginning to draw attention. Still he hated it, and he carried that opinion throughout the rest of the reception.

"I don't see why we need to be watched every moment of the day," Brill grumbled to no one in particular as the three padawans made their way through the gardens later that afternoon. The conversation had gone on for a lot longer than anyone had anticipated, so they had been given leave to stretch their legs and explore the area.

"It's only Angkat. That's practically unsupervised," Kaden noted although he wasn't exactly happy with the idea either.

"Look at all the wide open space," Nafanda, who had not really been listening, said dreamily. "It's gorgeous. I haven't ever been to such a place before."

An idea occurred to her. Had Brill not been present, she would have voiced it immediately. As it was, she eyed him a little warily.

"What?" said Brill defensively. "Have I done anything?"

"Not yet," said Nafanda. "Can you promise not to tell any of the masters what we're talking about now?"

Brill hesitated. "Is it anything they would want to know?"

Nafanda rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Brill, I'm trying hard to give you the benefit of the doubt," she said. "Will you be able to forego running off to your master and telling on us this once?"

Brill scowled, but nodded; he didn't exactly have a stellar record here so couldn't blame her for questioning him. "Yeah. What is it?" he asked.

"This place would be perfect to practice Force-enhanced running," Nafanda said. "Have you been taught how to do that? Because Kaden has. I haven't."

"Nah, I've only just finished with the theory on the way here," Kaden corrected. "Drex was going to start me on the practice once we landed."

Brill, however, looked positively puffed-up and pleased with himself which had never boded well for them in the past.

Nafanda and Kaden exchanged wary glances. Still, they were both willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and one last chance to prove that he had turned over a new leaf.

"I learned in my first year as a padawan," Brill announced proudly, then deflated a little when he realised he was probably gloating more than was helpful. He didn't mean to be. "Why hasn't your master started teaching you yet?" he asked, and this time there was no hint of snobbery to his tone; he was genuinely curious.

Kade could see where Nafanda was going with this. He also had a pretty good idea what would happen – at least to him personally – if he was caught disobeying, or Force help him, helping another padawan to disobey a safety rule. That said, the boy was no tattle-tale, and this place really was huge and open. What could possibly go wrong?

"Because my master thinks I should learn to pay better attention to what I'm doing or I might bump into obstacles," Nafanda drawled. "Well, there are not a lot of obstacles here. Besides, I've already managed once, when my master wasn't looking. And Kaden knows the theory. Better yet, you know the practice. And our masters won't be there. I mean... come on, don't look at me like that. Look at this park and tell me it's NOT made for practicing this kind of thing!"

Brill was stuck between a rock and a hard place; if he did the right thing and ratted her out, he'd never fit in, yet if he didn't, she might get hurt. The boy a deep breath, then glanced at Kaden. "Maybe if the two of us are here to help, it won't be all that dangerous?" he hedged, although it sounded as if he were trying to convince himself more than Kade.

Kaden shrugged. "The place is clear and open, and she's managed it once on her own already. I can't see what could possibly go wrong. Oh, other than being caught, that is," he commented wryly.

"Other than being caught? That's a pretty big 'other'," Brill retorted, then sighed at seeing the expressions on his fellow padawans' faces. "No I'm not going to rat you out, but neither do I think this is a good idea. Have a think about it and if you still want to do it tomorrow…" He paused. "… then I'll help you, too. The more, the better, I guess," he agreed.

"Great, thanks," said Nafanda, beaming. "And," she added more solemnly, "I know that's a big 'other'. Force, I don't even wanna think about the ass kicking I'll get if my master finds out! I promise, I won't try anything unless we're all entirely sure that nobody's going to notice. I'm not worrying too much about Angkat, though. He's so pissed at having to babysit, it won't take much to convince him that he doesn't need to watch us."

"True, that," Kaden replied, grinning as the memory of Angkat's face after being told he'd been relegated to babysitting duty flitted through his mind.

"Well, like I said, just have a think about it… Please," the latter was added with more sincerity than he'd meant to give the request. It really was hard for Brill to go along with this when everything was screaming at him to come clean and tell his master.

Kaden sensed a little of what Brill was projecting and frowned. "Oh man, you gotta do better than that if you want to keep this a secret. A friend of mine once said that it was my guilt that gave me away, and to keep an optimistic approach when doing something you know you shouldn't be doing." He was of course referring to Gannon, the friend who had helped him play pranks on his master, among other people. That guy had the best poker face he'd ever seen.

Brill snorted. "Just worry about your own ass, and I'll take care of mine."

An hour later they were back at the reception. It was winding up now and some of the delegates had left already. Kaden found his master's side and waited for their cue to leave. He was feeling a bit tired out after the full day and was not going to complain about going to bed.

Drex picked up on Kaden's fatigue. Unfortunately, since he had unexpectedly been promoted to mission leader and since he was definitely the most important person to their hosts, it seemed as if he would have be the last to leave. Well, Kaden would have most of tomorrow to himself, after all; he would just have to endure the remainder of the reception. It was actually not bad, as such things went; waiters with trays of interesting drinks and snacks passed by frequently, and the Ha'en-Shin were genuinely trying to be nice. They were extremely curious about Coruscant, but also willing to answer questions about their own culture.

"But you need be more careful when with normal people," Nmanxax, a woman who spoke fairly good Basic, told Drex, Kaden and Tiis. "They are not familiar to outsiders. Some will be afraid, or not trust. Some even are scared from people with red fur. They will fear your droids, too. It is better that some of us come with you when you go out. We do not want to control where you go. Just come with you."

That seemed reasonable enough; Drex, Tiis and Devra readily accepted this proposal, at least as far as their stay in Ha'en-Shin was concerned.

Finally, the last of the delegates were heading back to the compound, escorting the Jedi delegation to their quarters.

"Please get ready for bed and come to join me in my room for our evening meditation," Drex told Kaden. "Try not to fall asleep before that." He squeezed Kaden's shoulder briefly and affectionately. Then, headed off for his own room where someone had already unrolled his mat and prepared his bed.

It had been an interesting, albeit loooooong night for Kaden, so by the time they finally left for their rooms, the boy was cactus! He dragged himself into his bedroom and fell onto the bedroll that, like his master's, had been rolled out and pulled down for him. He would have loved to stay there. In fact, he fantasised about doing just that while he tried pulling off his tunic and pants without having to get up. Eventually he was dressed in his sleep pants, had washed his face, brushed his teeth and was padding barefoot and shirtless across the hall to where Drex was waiting for him.

There was no need to knock as Drex could sense him coming a mile away. Still, he tapped once, then entered. "I tell you what. Let me out of meditating tonight and I'll publicly declare in front of the padawans' lounge that you are the best master in the entire universe," the boy bargained, and he would do it, too. He flopped onto Drex's bedroll and scrubbed at his eyes; he was a Jedi and he was tougher than this!

"And if I say no, where will you rank me?" Drex asked with a grin. "Second-best? Somewhere in the middle? Or worst master ever?

"Hmmmm," Kaden feigned contemplation, taking his time. "Definitely somewhere in the middle." He was enjoying the banter even if he was tired.

"No, padawan, we'll meditate," said Drex. "We can make it a short meditation, but if we start letting things slide now, it will only get more difficult in the course of our mission. Besides, there is no need to get up particularly early tomorrow, AND the nights are longer here than they are at home. Admittedly, so are the days."

"Alright, we get to sleep in, I can live with that," Kaden agreed. Luckily, he'd forgotten all about Nafanda's plans for the morrow, and so their meditation was guilt-free. Kaden yawned and stretched when they'd finished. He had always enjoyed meditating with his master, and despite his tiredness, now was no exception.

"Are you alright with how the mission went so far?" Drex asked Kaden when they were done. "Or do you have questions, other than when I'll finally let you sleep?"

Did he have questions? "Not yet. The Ha'en-Shin appear to be straight shooters so I don't anticipate problems, unless I forget about one of their conversational rules which would probably not bode well for any of us." Again Kaden ran over the list in his head, silently repeating them to himself and trying to sear them into his mind.

"Thanks," he said, his comment serving to cover both the help releasing his negative emotions and the calm the man had helped him find within himself. He stood, pausing at the light panel briefly on his way out to palm it off; Drex had no need for light, after all, and it had only been on for his benefit.

"Good night, padawan," Drex said affectionately. Kaden had grown on him, and he had made great progress in controlling his emotions. Drex was actually planning on allowing him to build his own lightsaber very soon. Realistically, the boy would have to fight with temper issues all the way to knighthood, and possibly beyond, but that was no reason to hold him back infinitely.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Drex went to wake Kaden around half past eight, which was considerably later than the boy usually got up at the Temple. Breakfast would be served in a dining room adjacent to their quarters at nine. Kaden's room was just across the hall. On the way there, a door opened and someone shot out, nearly barging into Drex; he could only just avoid a collision by stepping aside.

"Oh, sorry, Master Zaryth," Nafanda said sheepishly, bowing to him, then remembering that the blind Jedi master could not even see this. "I… uh… was just on the way to my master's quarters."

"The next time," Drex said, quietly amused, "just walk. Like in the Temple – provided you ever stick to that rule."

"I do," Nafanda said promptly. "Nearly always. Most of the time, anyway. See you for breakfast!"

She gave him a cheery little wave that, again, he obviously couldn't see and made for her master's door. Drex shook his head and knocked at Kaden's.

Had Kaden been privy to that exchange, he'd have sympathised with them both. It took some time to get used to the fact that a person could not see your expressions and gestures, not that this had always saved him; the incident with Petri in the dining hall a testament to his master's ability to use his other senses.

"I'm up," Kaden called back, his statement clearly a lie. Kaden didn't open his eyes as the sound of their automatic door sliding registered. "I'll be ready in fifteen," he said resignedly.

True to his words, fifteen minutes later Kaden wandered into the common room area of their guest quarters.

"Kaden, look alive, you big pansy," Angkat quipped quietly as the boy walked past him to meet his master. He had been joking, of course, and the friendly shove he received in response was taken with good grace.

"What time did you finally get to escape?" Brill asked, looking from Drex to Kaden, because he had to admit the boy did look a little bit tired.

"Well, since I'm the wise blind man to our hosts," Drex replied, "we left last. I didn't look at my chrono, but it must have been pretty late. Fortunately, Kaden will have time to rest today. You can use the day to explore. Before we leave, we will check with our hosts the limits of where you should be free to go."

All in all, Drex thought that this would be more useful to their mission than forcing Kaden to spend half his day doing school work, as some other masters might have done.

Eleena and Triz tended to agree, which was why all three apprentices found themselves free from homework when their masters left for their appointment later that morning. Kaden glanced at his watch. It was almost ten thirty, and they had the whole day to themselves. Well, kinda...

"Great…" Angkat groaned, looking at the three junior padawan's left in his care. He dragged a hand down his face.

"Hey, don't sweat it, we can take care of ourselves. You know our masters are just being overprotective," Kaden told the older boy; they needed to get rid of Angkat if Nafanda decided that she wanted to go ahead with her idea.

Brill agreed. He knew they'd need to work to their strengths if they wanted to convince Angkat. "Besides, our masters told us to stay together," he shrugged, feigning disinterest, "I'd just come and tell you if anything happened, so you needn't worry," he reasoned, using his reputation as a tattle to aide their plight. Surprisingly, the boy felt a surge of exhilaration at being a part of this ruse. It was a feeling that he had not had before and it was spurring him on.

Angkat narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the sound of that, but neither did he want to play nursemaid to a bunch of kids all day. He'd much rather continue with his preparation work for the theory part of his trials. After a long moment, he finally spoke. "Alright, here's the deal. You're all old enough to know how to stay out of trouble, so don't do anything stupid because if you do, and I get my ass kicked for not tailing your every move, I'm coming after yours next. Capeesh?"

"Capeesh!" Kaden replied crisply, giving the older boy mock salute. When Angkat's frown only deepened as a result, Kaden dropped the smart-ass approach and switched tactics. "Really, we'll just look around, we won't even touch anything," he attempted to placate.

This seemed to mollify Angkat, if only a little. He met each apprentice with a probing expression, then sighed; it had not been so long ago that he had been in their position and just wanted to be free from adult supervision. It was with that in mind that he finally acquiesced. "Alright, go entertain yourselves, then," he said, all the while hoping that he had made the right call. "And I mean it, no funny business!" he yelled to their retreating backs. He had a bad feeling about this, but put it down to the fact that he was doing something that went against his master's orders because – he frowned – that had rarely ended well. Not even with trivial things like this.

A while later, the three junior padawans were standing on a hill overlooking the park. It was huge, lush green and almost completely deserted. They had been informed during breakfast that these were government compounds, open to the general public only during big festivals. They were allowed to roam them freely, but not to climb the fences that guarded them against the city in some places and against the wilderness in others. A few gardeners were tending to trees, but that was the extent of humanoid activity. Towards the north, in the direction facing away from the houses, there was nobody. The lawns stretched out smooth and inviting for about a kilometre, until the fence, without any obstacles.

"How long would it take you to make it to the fence?" Nafanda asked Brill curiously. "You are cleared to do this, aren't you?"

"Of course," came Brill's indignant response as he held a hand up to block out the sun and gauge the distance. "That's about a kilometre," he said, pondering for a moment longer. "About ten seconds," he replied, and glanced at Kaden. "You?"

Kade shrugged. "Dunno, I've never tried. Technically, Nafanda has had more practical experience than I have. Drex just made me read up on the theory. Apparently, most of us are taught the basics as initiates, and it's just a case of building on that foundation. One Jedi wrote that it's also about slowing down your perception of the world. That the increased speed enables you to see the world around you in slow motion. It helps dodge attacks and eventually you can even run up a vertical wall when you master it. What did it feel like when you tried it?" he asked Nafanda.

Nafanda grinned. "Great," she said. "And confusing. I lost all sense of time and speed for a moment, which is why I ended up bouncing into the far wall. I gather that's the part that takes the most practice; to retain control over what you're doing."

"Yeah, a friend of mine said that happened to her the first few times, and if the reading I did holds true, hardly anyone manages it first go. Those who do usually end up on their ass," Kaden said. "That you did it at all might mean you've got a gift for that sort of Force work," he suggested. It was not unusual for Jedi to be gifted in certain areas, especially so in Force control techniques. Kaden was just not one of them.

"He's right. It took me two sessions before I managed it for the first time. I didn't hit the wall, however. My master did say that focus is one of my strengths," Brill said. He looked puffed up and proud of himself for a minute before quickly dropping it; how many times had he been told that arrogance was not acceptable for a Jedi? Too many times!

"Brill," said Nafanda, nudging him with her elbow. "D'you wanna go first, seeing as you are not actually restricted from doing this?"

Brill nodded "The best way to start is to meditate. It's how to clear your mind of distractions which could make you run into something." He sat down, closed his eyes and entered a light meditative trance. Brill had many faults, but Triz had been correct regarding the boy's discipline and focus; it was exceptional.

Kaden watched Brill go from conversation to meditation but said nothing, choosing instead to wait and see what happened next. "Let's join him, I might give this Force running a try also. It would be nice to impress my master with something like this for a change," he told Nafanda and sat down. It was true, too. Kaden would like to get this right the first time and make it look like he had just been naturally good at this. It was all too often that he felt the opposite these days.

Nafanda had no illusions as to how impressed any of their masters would be if they found out about them practicing Force-enhanced running without permission; but then, Kaden didn't need to tell his master about it.

And Kaden definitely had no intention of telling Drex he had been practicing this without his permission. Force, the man would kick his ass into next week if he found out! He did, however, hope that practicing might just give him an edge, and that he impress the man for a change. Of course there was also his own desires. Kaden was curious and thought himself well able to do it without incident.

As for Nafanda, Kaden's remark had spurred her on; maybe it was true and she really had a gift for this kind of thing? That would be way too cool! What Nafanda did not know was that her master was entirely aware of that gift. Yet, Eleena had chosen not to teach her the skill as yet because Nafanda simply did not pay sufficient attention to her surroundings. She was capable of running into things or people at entirely normal speed, despite her Force awareness; and that, in Eleena's opinion, needed to change before she could be trusted to try Force-enhanced running. Nafanda knew about this part of her master's thought process, but considered it simple overprotectiveness. After all, she was well able to be mindful of her surroundings when she focussed properly, that much she was convinced of!

She readily followed Brill's and Kaden's lead and entered a light meditative trance. She dropped it, however, when Brill got up and made his run, turning into a blur that, ten seconds later, emerged a few dozen meters short of the fence as a very small human figure.

"Whoa," Nafanda said, impressed. "Kade, you wanna go after him? Or shall we both go?"

Kaden was pretty hard to impress, but Brill's rapid departure had gotten his attention. "Skills," he admitted, as Brill blurred from view and appeared as a tiny speck on the horizon.

Did he want to go after him? "Hell yeah, let's go together. Ready?" he asked Nafanda, taking a moment to centre himself; he'd have to really concentrate if he was going to pull this off without incident. Kaden had never done this before, but he had a solid grasp on the theory thanks to Drex's insistence that he read that enormous file on the mechanics behind achieving Force-enhanced running. It was that theory, coupled with what he sensed from Nafanda and Brill's Force presence that enabled him to get it right. He blurred after Nafanda and raced alongside her. It was exhilarating!

Brill squinted. He was barely able to make out two small figures standing on the far side where he had left them. For a moment he wondered if he should have stayed and given more instructions, but before he could do anything about that, Nafanda, closely followed by Kaden, blurred from his line of sight. And five seconds later, it went horribly wrong. Despite the half-kilometre distance, it was clear to Brill that it was Kaden who went down since he was much bigger than Nafanda. His heart lurched, and a wave of panic swept through him as he blurred towards them.

Nafanda had been racing alongside Kaden, full of exhilaration as the grounds swept past her. She had no idea how to know when to stop - maybe she should try counting the seconds? It suddenly occurred to her that there was a lot that she did not know about Force-enhanced running; and at the exact moment at which that thought crossed her brain, she saw, at the edge of her vision, an automated lawn mower coming her way. Realistically, it could not hit her because she was running too fast, but she reacted before she had any chance to think this through, swerving to her right - which was right where Kaden was. She did not quite know what happened next because it all happened too fast, but she hit something heavy, stumbled, managed to slow down and straighten herself up again and turned around... to find Kaden on the ground, his face white and his leg oddly twisted.

"Oh, fuck," she said bluntly, hurrying towards him and dropping to her knees. "Are you okay? You aren't, are you?"

Nafanda was not the only one who had felt exhilarated. This was quite possibly the most fun Kaden had had since Drex last allowed them to do Ataru. Unfortunately, right now the boy felt far from elated. "Ow!" he hissed, clutching at his knee. It was then that he caught sight of his shin and foot both of which were twisted and sticking up at an unnatural angle. "Fuck! It. It's Di-dislocated," he said through gritted teeth, and was forced to start deep breathing lest he pass out from the intense pain.

Brill looked as if he'd seen a ghost. His gaze flitted from a concerned Nafanda, to Kaden who was in serious pain, and then back again. He wasn't any good at Force-healing, and Kaden was too big for him to risk an attempt at popping his leg back into joint. He might just end up making it hurt a lot for nothing, or Force help him, actually making it worse! "We need to call Angkat," he said, pulling his commlink from his belt and punching in the teen's code.

Kaden held up a hand to stop him. "Let me. Try. first," he managed to grunt out over several short breaths. If he could fix this himself they might not need to bring this to anyone's attention. Yeah, right. Apparently his brain was also broken because hiding injuries from Drex had reliably ended badly. Not to mention that he was kidding himself here; this was bad and he knew it. As expected, his effort did nothing. Not only was he unsure of exactly what to do, but the pain of his attempts hurt so badly that he was now unnaturally grey, nauseous and had broken out in a full body-sweat.

Brill had sensibly ignored Kade's effort to stop him and made the call anyway. He quickly explained what happened to an increasingly concerned Angkat as he knelt by Nafanda, who was comforting their injured comrade. "He's on his way," he told the two in a tone completely devoid of its usual superiority; the teen would have looked as white as Kaden if such a thing were possible.

In the meanwhile, the Jedi masters, accompanied by their hosts, had just reached the small town where their blind informant lived and were leaving their speeders when Drex stiffened.

"Hennar," he said quietly. "Could you call Angkat, fast? Something just happened to Kaden. I think he's hurt."

Drex could tell through the training bond he shared with Kaden that his padawan was conscious, but in a lot of pain.

Hennar nodded and had Angkat on the line ten seconds later.

"What do you mean, you have no idea?" he asked incredulously. "Do you even know where Kaden is? SORT OF? Go check on him this instant and call me right away!"

He ended the call brusquely and turned towards Drex. "I'm sorry," he said. "My padawan does not seem to have taken his task of supervising the younger padawans quite as seriously as he should have. He's going to call us back as soon as he knows more."

"I'm going to call Brill," said Triz immediately. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful as Brill was currently busy calling a rather harassed-sounding Angkat who was already pulling on his boots and planning to contact what passed as emergency medics on this world the moment he disconnected. His comlink would be engaged for some time.

It was Eleena's turn next, and her call indeed got through to Nafanda's comlink.

"Uh... Kaden kind of hurt his leg," Nafanda said awkwardly. "I think Angkat is calling the healers or whatever it is they have here."

Drex told Nafanda to keep him updated and, despite his worry, terminated the call. Thanks to his blindness, of all the Jedi assembled here, he was the only one who could not simply leave before the meeting had even started.

When Angkat arrived at the place Brill had described, he was just in time to see two darkly furred Ha'en-Shin men jump from a large medical speeder and pull a stretcher from the back. He assessed the situation quickly and sent their droid off to begin explaining who they were to the medics. "That's dislocated," he said seriously, kneeling and placing a hand on Kaden's leg. "Healing isn't my speciality but I can help you with a bit of the pain. I won't lie, popping that back in is not going to be pleasant. How did this happen?" he asked, the latter said in a sharp tone as he looked from Nafanda to Brill.

Brill shrugged. "He fell and twisted it," he supplied. The boy had not actually seen what happened as he was too far away. All he'd seen was Kaden on the ground so it was a fair enough answer.

Angkat, however, wasn't buying it. "He fell and twisted it?" he repeated disbelievingly. From what little he knew about Kaden, the boy had not struck him as the clumsy type. In fact, it was to the contrary. Besides, it took quite a bit of impact to dislocate a knee!

"Yes, it didn't get like that on its own, you know," Brill added a little arrogantly.

Angkat ignored the comment, for now. He needed to concentrate on Kaden who looked as if he were about to pass out from the pain any second.

Less than five minutes later Kaden was being flown to the hospital, along with Brill, Nafanda and Angkat who flatly refused to take his eyes off any of them again. They'd given Kaden a hypo to dull the pain, but it still hurt. The pain was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was a deep, burning ache that became a dagger that shot up behind his knee and into his hip whenever he moved the wrong way. Hell, it even hurt if he didn't breathe the right way; too deep and his leg thumped, too fast and he got dizzy, too shallow and he started seeing black spots. This was intense and it showed on his face. Despite his immediate pain, Kaden wasn't looking forward to having this fixed either, as he was under no illusions about how much it was gonna hurt. He would never say it aloud but he really wanted his master here now.

Once at the hospital, Kaden was taken directly to the body scanners whilst the others were told to wait in reception. Angkat flopped into a chair and ran a hand over his face. Hennar was going to wear him out over this, and what made it all so much worse was the fact that he deserved it.

Having talked to a Ha'en-Shin doctor, the droid came to inform them that the joint was dislocated, there was a minor fracture and a ligament was torn. The joint would have to be relocated, and Kade would need some type of surgery and a day in the bone knitter. According to the doctors, the worst would be over in a few days.

"Oh great," groaned Nafanda, hiding her face in her hands. She dared not say more; after all, she did not exactly want to volunteer information about how this had come about. Not that it would take their masters long to find out, she supposed…


	8. Chapter 8

In the meantime, Drex and the other Jedi had an extremely interesting talk with AnShin, an elderly blind man who was highly Force-sensitive and was training a couple of others in ways they could use their gift to obtain visions. This had happened more or less by accident. It was not an established tradition among the Ha'en-Shin; it had mainly been possible because of the high respect that this society paid to blind people. But maybe something more formalised could come out of it, or else AnShin would be interested in working with the Jedi Temple.

Unfortunately, Drex was distracted by thoughts of his padawan during the whole talk. This was highly uncharacteristic of him. He hardly ever lost his composure and he was usually highly focussed; but the idea that Kaden was hurt and he was miles away and unable to look after him did not sit well with him. Surprisingly, AnShin picked up on his agitation and asked, very politely and compassionately, for its reasons. Drex answered truthfully, and to his immense relief, AnsShin offered to end the talk now and come to visit tomorrow instead, along with his students, so Drex could look after his apprentice. This seemed to surprise the other Ha'en-Shin who had not expected the revered blind master to make concessions for a teenager's injury or to leave his home in order to pay a visit to someone else. They did not contradict, though; they readily made arrangements for tomorrow's visit and then took the Jedi masters back to Mashen, a trip of an hour or so.

Kaden was lying on a hospital bed. His leg was still twisted up and although it was painful to look at, they had given him some strong pain relief which was making him drowsy; so much so that when Angkat, Brill and Nafanda entered with their droid in tow, he barely noticed until Nafanda actually sat on the bed. Her small weight caused his bed to sink a bit, and he looked up at them. One look at their faces told him all he needed to know. "That bad?" he asked.

"You'll live. You need surgery but it's nothing to worry about," Angkat reassured. He could imagine how Kaden felt and was hoping to inspire some confidence in the kid.

It was at that moment that a doctor approached carrying a tray of hypos, and Kaden stiffened. "Uh, I, I need to use the bathroom," he stalled. Surgery! He did not want to have surgery. He'd never had surgery before! Force, what if they fucked him up? Unfortunately for Kaden, the doctor nodded at the droid's translation then held out two items; a potty and one long jug-like unit. It was at that moment Kade recalled them cutting off his trousers and he realised he was dressed in an ass-less gown with no underpants on. "Force, they took my draws!" he slurred. The painkillers were making it hard for him to stay awake, and strangely enough, he was starting to find this all terribly amusing. He accepted the jug and chuckled.

"It's the effects of the medication," Angkat explained to a surprised Brill and Nafanda as they turned to give him some privacy.

Kaden took his time about this. He was going to stall as long as he possibly could. He didn't want to admit it but he was scared: a fact that he was unconsciously telegraphing across his bond with Drex.

Drex had been filled in on what was happening by Angkat on the comm, and he picked up on Kaden's fear alright. Unfortunately, he was still nearly an hour away from Mashen and there was not a thing he could do, other than reach out to Kaden through his bond and send him some reassurance.

"I think he wants Drex," said Nafanda to Angkat. "Drex is on his way, isn't he? Do you think there's a chance the doctors will wait for him before they start the procedure?"

"He is," Angkat confirmed. "but it's unlikely they'll wait," was added sympathetically. "He's going to be alright. He's just afraid which is entirely normal. Let's just try to comfort him the best we can."

The doctor in charge of Kaden could tell the kid wasn't happy about this, but that was to be expected; he didn't think anyone would be thrilled at the prospect of surgery, least of all a young boy. He pulled a hypo from the tray, ready to begin with the anesthetic, but Kaden – as bombed as he was – still managed to grasp the man's wrist with surprising strength. "This can wait. What is the rush here?" he objected, and the droid translated. The answer was expected, albeit unappreciated. Apparently the surgeon had been called in especially and wasn't keen on waiting around. The boy could both appreciate and understand that, but he didn't like it.

Angkat could sense the fear Kaden was suppressing and had a feeling that he wasn't going to go quietly. He stepped up to his bedside, sat and rested his hand over Kaden's. "Come on, let them do what they have to do. The quicker you get this done, the quicker it will be over with, and the quicker you will be out of here," Angkat reasoned. As he spoke, he did his best to offer what comfort he could, given that they lacked a training bond. "It's going to be alright," he added in a sympathetic tone and nodded approvingly as the boy slowly released the death grip he had on the doctor's arm.

"Thanks, but that's easy for you to say…" Kaden was now a sickly shade of grey. The hypo was given and he was instructed to count from ten. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five …" He was fighting it. "Four, three, two, one."

The doctor blinked in bewilderment when Kaden remained conscious, albeit barely. He began rechecking his calculations; if he had miscalculated the dosage, that was a serious mistake on his part!

Angkat instructed the droid not to translate this and moved closer to Kaden's ear. "Relax. Stop fighting it, it's dangerous," Angkat coached gently. He could sense Kaden using the Force and in his condition that was risky.

Kaden acquiesced because, as much as he didn't want this, he knew that Angkat was right. He took a calming breath and focused, all the while allowing Angkat to help calm him down.

The doctor produced another hypo and started over. He had checked his calculations and was relieved to discover he had not made a mistake. "Some beings are more resilient," he said in way of explanation, which was translated by the droid.

Drex had given Kaden techniques to quash his temper. Would it be any different if he used those to get his fear under control? It was worth a try since he was too bombed to release anything into the Force. This time, when the hypo was administered and he started counting, he imagined he was working to calm his temper. "Ten, nine, eig…"

The moment Kaden was out, Angkat contacted his master and updated him on what had happened.

At the time Drex and the other masters arrived at the hospital, Kaden was still in surgery. With the help of J-7LI, Drex managed to find out that it was going to be finished soon. They were going to place his padawan's leg in the local version of a bone knitter and transfer him to a room where he was to stay until tomorrow. A walking splint was going to be fitted to his leg, and then he would be allowed to leave. However, given the need for checkups, they would have to stay in Mashen for at least a week.

Drex passed that information on to Tiis and Devra so they could adapt the plans for their mission accordingly and followed a red-furred nurse to the room that Kaden was going to be transferred to, leaving it to the other masters to get to the bottom of this whole affair and deal with their padawans as they saw fit. Indeed, as he left he heard Tiis order the whole group to get back to the compound where they were going to have a serious talk.

After a short while, Kaden was brought into his room where Drex was already waiting. His leg was encased in a huge tube-like structure. It looked different from the bone knitters Drex knew, but he had the feeling that the doctors here knew their job. Anyway, what alternatives did they have? Kaden's injury was clearly beyond the capacities of their first-aid kits and Force-aided healing skills.

It took Kaden several hours to wake up. The hospital staff were shy but curious and dropped by regularly to ask Drex whether he wanted food, drinks or anything else. Once they caught up with the fact that Drex was blind, it did not take long for them to provide an armchair. All in all, Drex was quite comfortable, and since his padawan seemed in no acute danger, he relaxed and meditated until Kaden woke up.

One moment Kaden was lying on a hospital bed calming himself, and the next!? He woke up in a room with a single window. Outside, it looked like late afternoon but he couldn't be sure as he'd barely managed to open his eyes wide enough to focus. He had no idea where he was or what had happened since he'd been given that second hypo. He was too squeamish to look at his leg. Indeed, the thought of opening his eyes again at all was making him feel a bit sick. Suddenly he became aware that there was someone in the room with him. It was taking him some time to get his Force awareness back due to the medication they'd given him. Thankfully, he was so attuned to Drex's presence that, even muted, he could tell the man was there. "Master? Did they cut off my leg?" he croaked. His throat felt dry as a sand hut on Tatooine so he coughed to clear it.

"Padawan, I'm here," Drex said gently, squeezing Kaden's hand with his right and placing his left on the boy's head tenderly. "And your leg will be fine. Relax."

Kaden felt too tired to be overly concerned at the moment, so when Drex placed his hand on his head and told him that his leg was fine, he didn't question it. At least his head was starting to clear a bit now. Just as he was starting to wonder why his entire bottom half felt as if it were missing from his body, he recalled the part about a day spent in a bone knitter, a quick glance down confirming this. Fantastic… Well, at least I didn't end up in a bacta tank, he thought. He reached a hand around to feel his lower back and was unsurprised to find an epidural. Then, his eyes widened and his hands immediately flew to his crotch; no catheter, "Oh, thank the FORCE!" he said, his relief clear as he began to tentatively check the rest of his body.

Meanwhile, the other Jedi had made their way back to their guest accommodations and were gathered in the common room. Angkat, Brill and Nafanda were looking as could be expected, that was to say, saddened by what had happened to Kaden and apprehensive over explaining why. Devra was first to speak. She met each apprentice with a scrutinising expression. "Explain, if you would, how exactly one of our team members ended up in surgery." They already knew that Angkat had disobeyed his orders and had not been present when it happened, so her gaze focused on Brill and Nafanda.

This put Brill in an awkward position. Firstly, he wasn't sure how it had happened exactly as he really had been too far away to see, and secondly, if he came clean over their planned afternoon of unsupervised Force-enhanced running, Kaden and Nafanda would think him a tattle all over again! He looked up at the masters, all of whom wore expectant expressions, and then sideways at Nafanda.

"Errm, I kinda tripped Kaden up," said Nafanda. "We were... just running in the gardens. I mean, it's like, we don't have that kind of space in the Temple, so we just meant to, ermm, enjoy ourselves. Brill was ahead of us and Kaden and I were running after him, and I swerved to make way for a lawnmower and that's when he fell. It was just an unlucky coincidence."

There, she thought. No lie. It was all true. Sort of.

Tiis and Devra both frowned, but it was Eleena who spoke this time. "Just running?" she stated incredulously. "Having heard the extent of Kaden's injuries, you both would have needed to be running rather quickly to achieve that sort of damage. Try again," she told her, not at all amused at having to drag the story piece by piece from her apprentice.

Meanwhile Angkat was looking straight ahead as if he were on some sort of a trial, and Brill was wiping his palms on his pants while trying not to look as if he were about to sink into the floor under their scrutiny.

"Well, yes, we were," Nafanda said defensively. "Running rather quickly, I mean."

She did not really think she could salvage this situation, but seeing as she was in deep trouble anyway, it was worth a try, she thought.

Eleena's gaze hardened. She could tell her padawan was not being entirely truthful, and she sent her displeasure at the stalling tactic across their bond. Aloud, she said: "Padawan, you have one more opportunity to give a complete explanation before we take this conversation to our room where you will explain yourself after we've discussed why being evasive is not acceptable." Eleena was quite sure they had been using Force-enhanced running as Nafanda had been nagging her to learn for some time now, and given what was said about the lawnmower, she could piece together how Kaden had managed to end up so injured. But that wasn't the point. The point was she expected her apprentice to be open and honest with her, which at the moment she was not.

Brill was becoming increasingly nervous at this point. He began to fidget as he noticed that his own master's expression was decidedly unimpressed. Perhaps even more so than the other masters'. He had less to answer for, he guessed, but his master was also less tolerant when it came to transgressions.

Nafanda was not stupid although she sometimes was impulsive; she could tell that this was the point at which she really had to come clean.

"Kaden and I tried Force-enhanced running," she admitted. "And it worked; we could do it. So we were quite fast at that point. If I hadn't swerved, nothing would have happened. And Brill didn't really do anything, he had just shown us what he could do and then Kaden and I decided to come after him." This was not entirely true, but maybe, just maybe, there was a chance to at least save Brill's hide...

"Yes, and had you obeyed your orders instead of attempting things you are not yet cleared to do, none of this would have happened," Eleena said curtly. "There is a good reason I have not yet cleared you for Force-enhanced running and you know it; this is not the first time we've spoken about this." They had discussed that very thing many times, after all. She suspected there was more to this concerning Brill's involvement, but before she could speak again, Triz was already questioning Brill.

"Umm." Brill blanched. His master did not look any less peeved than before, so when she ordered him to give his side of this, he didn't have much of a choice. He did, however, shoot an apologetic expression Nafanda's way before he started to fill them in on the parts Nafanda had left out regarding their plans. That it had been planned in the first place was first out, followed by his involvement.

Triz nodded but said nothing when her apprentice finished speaking. Then, Hennar started questioning Angkat for his view. In the end, all four Jedi master's had the full story, and it was simply a case of whether or not Devra and Tiis wanted to say anything to the trio before their masters left to deal with them.

"Well," said Devra, clearly unimpressed. "I think we should leave it to your respective masters to impress upon you the importance of following safety rules, especially so during a mission. But let me make one thing clear. Any further incident in which you team up to do things that you are not cleared to do behind our backs, you will spend the remainder of our mission on our starship. And as for you, Angkat: Any further failure on your part to supervise the others when you have been ordered to do so, you will suffer the same fate as them. Now excuse us. Tiis and I will have to talk to our hosts and arrange tomorrow's meeting, as well as our onward journey for which we might have to leave Kaden and Drex behind."

In fact, in light of recent events and given the high esteem that blind people held with the Ha'en-Shin, it might be an advisable course of action to leave it to Drex to deal with them and split up the rest to explore other countries. In any case, they would have to adjust their plans somehow. Tiis was also going to send an audio message to Drex to inform him of what had caused his padawan's injury, in case Kaden was not yet coherent enough to tell him or did not give him the whole truth.

Hennar, Triz and Eleena all agreed with what Devra and Tiis had said regarding their padawan's behaviour and planned to support the edict should they have further problems of this sort. Right now though, a piteous looking Brill was being ushered into his room, and Angkat practically marched to his. Nafanda was looking at her lap – anywhere but at her master.

Eleena looked down at her apprentice but was met with the top of her head. Well, she couldn't blame her. Not only had Nafanda been reckless and disobedient, she'd also been evasive and defensive when confronted. She tried to put the thought that it could have just as easily been Nafanda lying in that hospital to one side and focused instead on teaching her a lesson. "Go to your room now, please," Eleena said. Her tone was curt but not unkind. She needed a moment to think, so when the girl obeyed, she sat down on the sofa and closed her eyes.

Nafanda nervously made her way to her room. Her master was not all that strict; in fact, she was often positively easy-going when compared to other masters. However, she was capable of putting her foot down, and Nafanda was under no illusions as to whether this was such an occasion. She also felt guilty at having been so evasive; it had been silly, she realised, and it had made her master look bad which was something that Nafanda, who loved Eleena very much, had not intended at all.

Eleena could sense her padawan's feelings across their bond, which was why she did not plan to spend too much time thinking about this.

When she sensed that Nafanda was following her instructions, she rose from the sofa, grabbed her cloak and exited. She was heading for a small courtyard they'd passed on their way back which was located just outside the adjacent building. It wasn't a huge area, but it did have a few bench seats and quite a well-maintained garden with several trees that would be suitable. She cut a thin branch from one of the trees, sat on a bench and began removing the leaves and buds with her utility knife. So far, each time Nafanda had done something that warranted more than the use of her hand as punishment, she had used a wooden cooking spoon. Unfortunately for her apprentice, their off-world lodgings were not equipped with a kitchen so she would need to make do. The switch was thin, whippy and would be sufficient to ensure that Nafanda knew the extent of her displeasure. She rolled up her pant leg and gave her calf a sharp smack, comparable to that which she planned to give her padawan. It stung! It also left a faint red welt that began fading almost immediately; this would hurt but not harm, nor was it too harsh; it fit the crime which was what Eleena was aiming for here.

Five minutes later, Eleena tapped on Nafanda's door and entered to find her still meditating. She set the switch on the trunk and approached. "Padawan," she spoke across their bond, gently rousing the girl from her trance. When her padawan's eyes opened, Eleena sat down next to her. She wasn't angry but neither did she look thrilled. "I think you know that what you did today was completely unacceptable and why. You know I do not put rules in place for no reason. These rules are for your own safety as much as for the safety of those around you. That could have been you, and it could have been worse. That it wasn't doesn't make what you did any less disobedient." She thought it prudent to nip that argument in the bud right then. "What makes it worse is the fact that you premeditated this. Then, when asked to explain, you became defensive and evasive. This is not acceptable. Do you have anything you want to add before we get to your punishment?"

Nafanda looked at her master and bit her lip. "I'm sorry for not coming clean," she said in a low voice. "That was cowardly of me and... not the Jedi-like thing to do. I will try to do better the next time, really. As for the Force-enhanced running..." She sighed. "I know it was unacceptable," she admitted. "I just felt so frustrated. I'm about the last one my age who has not been taught how to do this yet, or so it feels to me. And then there was all this wide open space, and Brill who knew how to do it, and..."Now for the hardest part, she thought, steeling herself.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you," she said quietly. "I've done it before, once, in the gym. So I knew I could do it. I managed on my first run. The padawans I told about it all told me what an accomplishment that is and how I must have a special gift for this kind of thing, so this probably went to my head. I'm sorry, master. You have every right to punish me for this."

Eleena nodded at the explanation and apology. "Thank you, Padawan," she replied, her tone slightly mollified by this change in Nafanda's attitude. She understood that most kids got into trouble at some point or another. That was just part of growing up, and Nafanda was no exception. Eleena did not intend to drag her over the coals indefinitely about this. However, disobeying orders, jeopardising safety rules and evasion were not the sort of transgressions that Eleena could let slide. Nor was the fact that this was not the first time Nafanda had disobeyed her over this particular restriction. That confession had caught her by surprise.

"I am aware of the fact that you are gifted with this sort of Force work," said Eleena, "but I have good reason not to teach this particular skill to you yet. Despite your Force awareness, you still don't pay enough attention to your surroundings, and that's without the added distraction of concentrating on something like Force-enhanced running. We've talked about this before, and the fact that you have disobeyed me more than once regarding this rule tells me that you aren't taking me seriously. That is something else that will need to change if you are going to progress in your training. When you're given orders, you obey them, regardless of your personal feelings." Eleena thought that enough had been said, so she looked around the spartan room noting that, like in her own, there wasn't much in the way of furniture. Decision made, she picked up the switch from the trunk and stood beside it; it wasn't ideal but it would do the job.

"Do you have any questions as to why I am about to punish you?" she asked while folding up the sleeve of her tunic.

Her master folding up her tunic sleeve and, worse, holding a switch was probably among the least welcome sights that Nafanda could imagine. She winced. She knew she was lucky, comparatively speaking, because other padawans got whacked with belts, heavy hairbrushes or even canes, but that didn't mean she had to like the idea of being spanked with a switch!

Still, she knew that the fault had been hers and that her master had every right to be less than pleased with her.

"No, master," she said, unenthusiastically, dragging her feet towards where Eleena was standing. She gave her master a beseeching look, silently imploring her to let her keep her pants up.

"Very well. Pull your trousers and underpants to your knees and put your hands on the trunk," Eleena ordered. She knew every Jedi master had their own way of doing this. Some were a lot harsher and some – like her own master – were a lot softer. It depended on the individual team and what worked best for them. In this instance, she planned to teach her apprentice that she meant business and to set a benchmark for what could be expected, should she try something like this again.

Nafanda complied hesitantly. She could tell that her master was not inclined to be lenient at all, and she could not exactly blame her. Still, this did not mean she had to like it. Baring her bottom was awkward and humiliating, and bending forward, exposing her bare bottom, was even more so. She shifted around, trying futilely to find a position that felt less exposed, and tensed up in anticipation of the first stroke.

Nafanda was not kept waiting long; what she had done was unacceptable and they both knew this. Eleena stepped up to her padawan's left, and put a hand on her lower back, pushing her forward a little to further expose the undercurve of her bottom. She drew the switch to about shoulder height before bringing it down with moderate force across the fullest part of Nafanda's bottom.

Nafanda flinched and hissed. The switch was light, but it burned as if a swarm of bees had stung her, and this was only the beginning! The girl could simply hope that her master did not intend to give her more than half a dozen strokes or so because else, she would be a sobbing mess in no time. Realistically, though, she knew her chances of that happening were nonexistent. Her master might be more lenient than some others, but she was not a pushover by a long shot!

The thing was, Eleena was bent on teaching her apprentice a lesson. Thus, and despite her padawans discomfort, she brought the switch down a second and third time with the same force. The Twi'lek did not have a particular style; she simply concentrated on the task at hand, making sure that each sharp smack landed in a new spot. This was undoubtedly difficult to handle, given that her charge would be unable to predict where it would land next.

Nafanda did indeed have a hard time dealing with this. The temptation to fling back her hand and protect her bottom, if only for a moment, was overwhelming. But that would be humiliating and accomplish nothing, so she exercised all her willpower to refrain from doing this. She did, however, become increasingly vocal about this punishment, yelping a little louder with each stroke. Tears were burning at the corners of her eyes. Nafanda squeezed them together tightly to prevent the tears from escaping but it was a losing battle.

After a good dozen or so smacks, Eleena paused, switched sides and began over. She didn't have a fixed number in mind. It was more a case of judging her padawan's reaction.

Nafanda thought for a brief, blessed moment that her ordeal was over, but after only a second, it started again. Her yelps turned into wails and she started to stomp her feet a little but that did not change anything about the intensity of the swats. They just kept and kept coming!

"Master, I'm sorry!" she yelped in a desperate attempt at damage control, but this did not seem to leave much of an impression since the switching continued unabated.

"I know you are," said Eleena, sympathetically. "But being sorry afterwards doesn't excuse you from the repercussions. You know that." She could sense Nafanda's guilt and knew the girl was sorry. That didn't mean she planned to cut the lesson short. She didn't enjoy punishing the girl, but nor did she want to have to do this again anytime soon. Which was why, in spite of her apprentice's obvious discomfort, the Twi'lek was relentless. She increased the force a little, and this time focussed more of the stripes to the lowest part of her padawan's bottom and upper thighs. Given that Nafanda's skin was coal black, it was hard to tell that her efforts were having any effect at all, so she kept a close watch on her emotions and pain level through their bond; she wanted to provide the girl with a good incentive not to do this again, not injure her.

If Eleena wanted to know whether her spanking was having an effect, the ever-increasing volume of her padawan's yelps and howls could tell her as much as the way in which she was energetically stomping her feet, squirming and wriggling with little success.

"I'm sorreeeee!" she yelled, all semblance of composure gone as she swerved her hips from left to right in a futile effort to escape from the horrible switch. "Won't do it agaiiiiiin! Pleaaaaaase!"

Nafanda's increasingly animated response and pleading told the woman that they were making progress. She put a hand on her padawan's back to keep her still, and then, without missing a beat, she began snapping the switch down from mid-thigh up to the fullest part of her bottom. The skin was becoming warmer to the touch but she wasn't planning to stop until she felt her padawan had truly submitted to this punishment. They had not reached that point yet, she knew.

Nafanda's cries took on a decidedly more hysterical notch when her upper thighs were targeted. She hated being spanked there, and her master usually only did this when she had really messed up. Her howls of pain soon became unintelligible until finally she could stand it no more and broke down sobbing. All fight had left her; she was reduced to waiting for the horrible pain to end because this definitely felt as if it had been going on for an eternity!

It was at this point that Eleena landed her charge's backside with a dozen of the hardest stripes yet. Then, she put the switch, or what was left of it, down and began slowly rubbing a hand up and down the girl's spine in an effort to soothe her. Eleena doubted that Nafanda would hear anything she said at this point and so continued to offer comfort in silence until she had calmed down.

Nafanda could accept that she deserved this (in fact, she still felt horribly guilty over having caused Kaden's accident), but that did not make this any easier to bear. It had been the most painful punishment she had received in quite some time; and even if it hadn't been, it would have seemed like it because one tended to forget how much exactly these things hurt! They hurt a lot, and consequently Nafanda cried for quite a while until her sobs finally quieted down a little and she was dimly aware of her master's comforting touch. She also became aware of the awkward position and slowly straightened herself up.

When Nafanda began to move, Eleena took her beneath the arms, lifted her to stand between her knees and pulled her into a hug. "No more guilt now," she spoke softly, running a hand over her padawan's thick braids. She didn't have a handkerchief or tissue on hand, so she summoned a clean face washer from the bathroom and gently swiped the tears and snot from her face. "I think," she continued after a long pause, "that you would benefit from some extra meditation on obedience and patience. Fifteen minutes in addition to our morning routine should suffice," she said, bunching the towel into her hand and continuing to hold Nafanda close with her free arm.

Nafanda nodded, suppressing an intense desire to hop around the room rubbing her buttocks, which would have seemed rather too juvenile for her. But Force, did it hurt! She did not think she was going to sit any time soon.

"Yes, master," she whispered, feeling rather subdued. She was maybe not the most of obedient of padawans, but disobedience on this scale was rare for her. In hindsight, she wondered what had gotten into her.

Eleena nodded and gestured that she pull up her pants. She knew it had to hurt, but Nafanda needed to learn this lesson and so it was with that in mind that she decided to refrain from any healing until later this evening. "Alright, I want you to spend the next hour doing homework. Then you may come join me in the common room," she said, not unsympathetically, and picked up the switch to throw it away.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: We'd like to thank everyone for their comments, reviews and continued support. We love hearing from you all and it's great that people are reading and enjoying our stories! Welcome to the new faces that have read and thought it enjoyable enough to write us a review. We thought it prudent to add a warning as this chapter contains harsh punishment of an adult, meted out by an adult. If this is not to your taste, please do not read it. You have been warned.

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Meanwhile, an ashen-looking Angkat was having problems of his own. He had heard the wailing going on in the adjacent room, and that his master had left him in his own room alone didn't fill him with confidence either. Well, he was twenty-two now and almost a knight, so surely Hennar wouldn't resort to physical discipline… Surely not. Besides, the man's right arm was messed up, which ruled out the possibility of getting his ass beat. So why was he even thinking along those lines? The expression on Hennar's face was one reason; he hadn't seen Hennar look like that in quite a few years now.

Hennar, after having marched Angkat to his room wearing a most displeased expression on his face, had ordered him to wait. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that there needed to be some serious consequences. Unfortunately, since he was barely able to use his arm, he could not be the one to impose them. Therefore, he needed to find someone to help him out.

Tiis was busy leaving a voice message for Drex. He beckoned Hennar in and motioned for him to wait, and Hennar patiently did that until the older Jedi master was finished.

When Tiis was done, he turned around to face Hennar. "I assume you need someone with a functioning right arm," he said drily.

Hennar had to smile at that in spite of himself. "The thought had occurred to me, yes," he said.

"Well, your padawan does deserve it," Tiis replied. "How would you punish him for this if you had free use of your arm?"

"Besides assigning him additional teaching duties and meditations," Hennar said, "I would certainly take my belt to him and make very sure he does not even think of repeating this stunt ever again."

Tiis merely nodded and got up. "Alright, then," he said. He had never been a man of many words.

And so it was that, a minute later, Hennar returned to his room with Tiis in tow.

Shortly after the howling match had stopped across the hall, Angkat sensed his master's presence approaching the door. Strangely, he also sensed that their Iktotchi mission leader, Tiis was with him. When the door opened and they both entered, Angkat got to his feet and stiffened, both hands clasped tightly behind his back. Otherwise, he remained silent and stared at the wall behind the two men. He swallowed; he had a bad feeling about this.

"Padawan, your behaviour has been appalling and you know it," said Hennar grimly, coming to stand in front of Angkat. "Whether as a padawan or as a knight, you need to obey your orders, no matter if they are convenient for you or to your liking. I'm very thoroughly displeased with you and I absolutely don't want something like this to happen ever again. If this is what your sense of responsibility amounts to, I will seriously have to think about whether you are really ready to be knighted soon."

At twenty-two years of age, Angkat was well able to control his emotions. He had been doing well – until Hennar dropped a bombshell regarding his readiness for knighthood. His eyes went from being fixed on the wall to meet his master's gaze, his expression momentarily crushed before reverting. It would have been clear to Hennar how that piece of information had gone over.

"That aside," Hennar continued. "There will be more immediate consequences for your disappointing behaviour. Since I'm currently unable to call you to task for it the way you deserve, I've asked Master Tiis for his help and he has been generous enough to grant it. We will talk about further consequences after he is done." He took a step back and motioned for Tiis to take over.

Tiis had, in the meanwhile, scanned the room. Just like the other guest rooms, it did not possess anything in the way of chairs, tables or a couch. There was, however, the big trunk that all rooms were equipped with.

"Bare your bottom, stand in front of the trunk, bend over and place your elbows on it," he ordered curtly, unaware that this was exactly what Eleena had decreed; but then, it was the most convenient option.

Angkat had stood statue-still, managing to endure the rest of what he considered a rather scathing lecture without flinching. But when he heard that Tiis was taking over, he couldn't stop the nervous cough that followed.

He looked from Hennar to Tiis, nodded once, then turned towards the trunk where he began to unbuckle his belt. He did so quickly and without fuss because like most Jedi, his master had often used corporal punishment during his apprenticeship and he knew what was expected of him. He placed his belt to the side, untied his pants and let them fall to his ankles. Angkat didn't wear underclothing so when he bent over as Tiis had instructed, all that was between his ass and whatever the Iktotchi planned on using was the tail of his tunic. Had this been his master, he would have lifted it before he bent over, but this wasn't his master so perhaps he'd get lucky and the man would leave it there. Not that a single layer would save him much pain.

Tiis unhurriedly opened his belt, took off a few utilities, placed them on the rack on the wall, and folded the belt over in his hand.

"I told you to bare your bottom," he said to Angkat, his voice emotionless, and brought the belt down sharply across the backs of his thighs. "Lift your tunic," he ordered.

Hennar winced at the force of that stroke. Still, he acknowledged that Angkat deserved this. He was a grown-up, not a child, and he had seriously neglected his duty. Plus, he knew better than to leave his tunic hanging over his bottom when he was about to be disciplined.

It took all of Angkat's self-control not to spring up and start frantically rubbing at the welt that he knew was slowly rising on the backs of his thighs. He didn't, though. Instead, he buckled slightly and hissed, any and all thoughts that Tiis was going to go easier on him than Hennar immediately abandoned as he quickly reached back and yanked up his tunic. What had he been thinking, trying to pull that off? Seriously! He wasn't a kid anymore, he was a young man! Ashamed, he lowered his forehead onto his bunched fists and closed his eyes, because if that one had been anything to go by, this was going to test his self control. "I will do better," he managed; apologies at this point would not buy him any favours, he knew that.

"Good," said Tiis evenly and brought the belt down a second time, this time onto the topmost part of Angkat's bottom. He reduced the force behind this stroke, but only slightly so; he did not want to do serious damage, after all, but he did want to make his displeasure – or, possibly, Hennar's – abundantly clear.

Angkat hadn't expected more of a response than that. He had simply wanted to demonstrate contrition and perhaps secretly hoped, as he had as a child, that by doing so he just might reduce the severity of his punishment. No such luck. Angkat winced, balled his fists tighter and eventually bit into his hand to stop himself from crying out. The pain was intense, and with each crack of the belt it became that bit more difficult to keep still.

Tiis continued to wield the belt at a slow, steady rhythm, laying down stroke after hard stroke, moving gradually down Angkat's bottom until he reached the tops of his thighs. At this point, he paused very briefly, giving Hennar a questioning look. Hennar gave him a brief nod. If this was me dealing out the belting, the nod said, I would not be done yet. Tiis nodded and resumed the belting, starting at the top again.

Angkat drew in a long breath when the man paused, only to let it out in the form of a muted yelp when the sound of another sharp crack followed by an explosion of pain told him that Tiis wasn't through with him. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, unable to keep his bottom from trying to angle away from the belt.

"Cry out if you must, but keep your position," Tiis ordered heartlessly and continued the belting at the same unhurried pace as before, moving down Angkat's bottom with slightly overlapping strokes that were no less forceful than before, only they must be twice as painful now on the already sore skin.

Hennar looked on, outwardly unperturbed. He found that it was a lot harder to watch this than to do it himself. He also felt that Angkat needed this, and he needed it to be harsh enough to make him lose his composure. Apparently, the prospect of being knighted was making him arrogant, thinking he knew better than his superiors, and Hennar could not allow that to happen. Ultimately, he would feel responsible even if Angkat became guilty of comparable misjudgments after his knighting.

Angkat managed a slight nod at the instructions, but no more than that. He hadn't earned himself a whipping like this in several years which only worked to drive home the message that his behaviour truly had been disgraceful. The young man was now unable to stop the bark of pain that accompanied each smack; it just hurt too much and keeping his hips straight was taking all his focus. His eyes were squeezed shut so tightly that when he opened them briefly in response to a particularly nasty swat to his undercurve he was surprised to find his vision was overbright, and when he closed them again with the next, a couple of tears were set dripping onto his balled fists which were white from the effort he was putting into clenching them. "Master, please," he sent across their bond when Tiis landed what he prayed was the last lick onto his thighs. If he decided to give him round three, he wasn't sure he could withstand it. As it was, his hips were angling, his buttocks, toes, hands and eyes were all clenched tightly and he was beginning to lightly stomp his feet in an effort to redirect some of the pain from his ass.

Unfortunately for Angkat, Hennar did not think he was quite there yet. His response, through their bond, conveyed an equal measure of compassion and firmness. Outward, he merely nodded at Tiis to go on. Tiis seemed to understand him perfectly because he did exactly what Hennar would have done to force Angkat to let go of his self-control: He did not start at the top, but at the bottom, at the tops of Angkat's thighs that had just been punished. And he slightly increased the force behind his blows.

Although not unexpected, that was not the response Angkat was hoping to receive from his master. He glanced sideways in an effort to look back but instead caught Tiis's arm raise in his peripheral vision, and quickly his eyes were forward again and focused on the trunk. "Ah! AHHHh!" he barked, as the next two licks landed but that was where his resolve ended. He simply couldn't take another smack or he was going to… "AHHHH!" he wailed, sounding not dissimilar to his ten-year-old self all those years ago. Tears had blurred his vision, his knees buckled slightly and he started to cry quietly. He simply could not stop it.

Hennar held up three fingers to Tiis, who nodded briefly in understanding and laid down three more strokes, not caring particularly where he aimed them; they were thorough and they crossed all the other welts.

As far as Angkat was concerned, this was never going to end. He writhed, rose up on his toes and wailed at the next two, then, as the last nailed the fullest part of his bottom (which was not nearly the most painful smack he had gotten), the young man buried his face in his sleeves and tried to limit his cries to subdued bawling.

When Tiis was done, he reattached his utilities and his belt and left the room quietly and discreetly.

Angkat was aware that Tiis had stopped, if only from the sound of his belt being rethreaded, because his ass was convinced that it was still full steam ahead. When the door closed, he knew that the man had left him, and a part of him felt ashamed at both his behaviour and the way he had handled himself.

Hennar was now completely focussed on his sobbing padawan; he put his left hand on Angkat's back and rubbed it slightly, but did not speak as yet.

Angkat remained bent over for a few moments longer in an effort to compose himself. Then, he rose stiffly and turned a bleary gaze at his master. "Y-you were right to punish me, I will do better," he said, his voice straining to remain composed but when he met his mentor's eye, the young man dropped his gaze and leant into the man's chest.

Hennar wrapped his good arm around his padawan and affectionately stroked his back. "Let it go," he said softly. "You need not be ashamed of your tears. Anyone would cry after a whipping like that. Which you did deserve, make no mistake." The fondness in his voice belied the sternness of his words, though. Angkat had been a good padawan and would make an excellent knight; but like many young men and women his age, he needed to learn the importance of seemingly trivial and mundane tasks, and Hennar would make sure that he did.

The padawan sniffled (he couldn't believe he had just sniffled, but he had!) into his master's shoulder. He had no doubt that he'd deserved every lick Tiis had given him, and his subdued demeanour both physically and across their bond reinforced his previous words.

It took Angkat a few minutes to pull himself together before he risked reaching for his pants. "Argh," he thought aloud, tossing the trousers onto his bed; modesty was not a part of Angkat's makeup and his uncomfortable shuffling and shifting was purely from the pain radiating from his welted backside. He could practically feel the heat ten centimetres away.

"I will give you some bacta later," said Hennar. "Not right now. You will now meditate on your priorities. You have been so focussed on the things that you thought you need to accomplish in order to be knighted that you have forgotten about your real duties. These might seem trivial and unimportant at times, but if they are what you have been asked to do, then they are the most important thing for you to do. For the remainder of our mission, you will devote as much time as you possibly can to coaching the younger padawans in their school work, Force work or lightsaber skills. I will not set you a fixed amount of time because there is simply no way to tell how much time we will have on our hands, but I will make sure you consider this work your top priority until our return. You might not be able to see it right now, but it is as good a preparation for your knighting as any, and probably better than some."

He gave Angkat's back one last comforting pat, then loosened his hold and took a step back. "Meditate, padawan," he said.

"Yes, Master," Angkat replied, suitably chastened. He wasn't happy about Hennar's orders to play at nursemaid to the younger padawan's, but neither did he think it unreasonable, considering what he had done or, more to the point, neglected to do. Not bothering with his pants, he knelt, closed his eyes and did his best to put the pain out of his mind.

When Hennar entered the common room area, he found Eleena and Tiis seated on a couch, a pot of freshly brewed tea sat on the table and two more cups sat empty and waiting for him. As was typical the stoic Iktotchi acknowledged his presence with a simple nod, whilst Eleena looked decidedly more sympathetic; they'd all just had to punish their apprentices and the fact that Triz was still with Brill had not gone unnoticed. Although, unlike with Nafanda and Angkat, no wailing or yelling could be heard, at least not yet. "Kaden's awake. He's going to be just fine," Eleena told Hennar who had been absent when the message came through.

"Sure he will, well, that is until Drex gets his hands on the boy," Tiis replied, surprising the masters with the slight sense of humour buried within that statement.

Drex had received the report Tiis had spoken on the com over his headphones, and he was not impressed. He was going to see how much of this Kaden was going to tell him on his own. But only when he seemed fit to be interrogated, of course; his health would always come first.

Kaden woke up a little while later. Drex helped him prop himself up with pillows since these beds, although adjustable, had not been made with soft-skinned, hairless beings in mind. "It's like sleeping on a durocrete slab," Kade complained good-naturedly and shifted his ass around for the umpteenth time. He was starting to regain his sense of humour which was a good sign, considering that just an hour earlier he had felt like death warmed up.

Drex knew that Devra had supplied the Ha'en-Shin doctors with a file that provided information on the physiology and medical needs of the species of the Jedi delegation. Therefore, the anesthesia and pain relief Kaden had received should be more or less adapted to his body's parameters. Drex also knew that the doctors had no actual experience with humans, so he had been rather worried, even if his outwardly calm demeanour did not betray his worries. He was immensely glad that Kaden seemed to find back his spirit.

"Well, you will just have to grow some fur," he said jokingly. "Can't be too difficult. They all do that around here."

He patted Kaden's shoulder affectionately and got up to look for a nurse. They all were in awe of the blind man, and when he asked one of the staff, with the help of J-7LI, whether they could procure a soft mat like the one they had in their quarters, it took them less than ten minutes to find a soft bed and transfer Kaden to it.

J-7LI thanked the staff on Kaden's behalf. Then, once it was just Drex, himself and their droid alone in the room, Kade turned a cheeky grin on his master. "Maybe you could request some sweet juice and some bubba fries while you are at it? I'm pretty sure they would do it if the sagely blind man asked it of them," Kaden said and snuggled into the softer bed. He wasn't sure if bubba fries even existed here but it was worth a shot.

"I'm not going to order them around just because I can," Drex replied. "But I could certainly ask for some food for you. Or for both of us, for that matter. I take it you are feeling better, then?"

He felt Kaden's forehead, more out of habit than because of a serious suspicion that his padawan might be running a fever, and adjusted the bone knitter slightly so that Kaden's leg came to rest in a more comfortable position. Then he sent J-7LI to ask for food. There was a tap on the back wall, out of Kaden's sight; a number of jugs was stacked next to it. Drex knew the water was drinkable because it had been offered to him when Kaden had still been out. He filled a jug and brought it to the boy.

"Compared to when I first woke up, I feel like a million credits," Kaden replied, enduring Drex's ministrations without complaint. He accepted the cup with a grateful nod. Then, he paused; he was on a solid day of bedrest and whatever went in him would eventually need to come out of him! He took a small sip and coughed at the thought of having to take a dump in one of those potty things. The thought of how they would overcome that need in a bacta tank had him grateful that a bone knitter was the extent of it. He glanced up at Drex, a slightly amused expression on his face. "You ever been in a bacta tank?"

"Yes, a couple of decades ago," Drex replied, sitting down next to Kaden. "It's not as if I can remember any of it, though. Now, since you seem to be up to having a conversation: Can you explain to me just how you managed to hurt yourself this spectacularly?"

"You can't remember? Why the Force not?" Kaden asked incredulously, trying to prop himself up a little more and wincing as his leg failed to cooperate. "What happened, did they wipe your memory or something?" he pressed. There were two reasons for his persistence. Firstly, he was curious, and secondly, he was eager to avoid Drex's question.

"Padawan, I was unconscious at the time, like any person submerged in a bacta tank," Drex replied patiently. "And I will be happy to tell you the whole story at some other point. Right now, I want you to answer my question, as you know perfectly well."

Kaden gave him a 'take pity on me, I'm injured' sort of expression which, of course, was completely wasted on his blind master. Still, he wanted to hear that story and his indignation at having his curiosity fobbed off would have been clear across their bond. As was the fact that he really didn't want to talk about how he'd gotten injured... He shifted around to try and buy some time but in the end he knew, it was simply delaying the inevitable. The boy sighed, scrubbed at his forehead and started spilling the beans.

He explained how they had seen the garden the day before, their plans to lose Angkat and eventually, how the accident happened. He looked sheepishly at Drex, feeling worse for the guilt than his current situation. "The garden was freakin' hUGe, and we kinda figured that between Brill's clearance, my theory and Nafanda's skill, we had it covered," he concluded. He didn't need his bond with Drex to tell him how this information was going to go over. 'Yeah: one serve of balloon, heavy on the lead…' he thought. One of their hosts chose that moment to enter carrying a couple of trays.

"On'hhyom plogh," said Drex politely to the grey-furred being who was serving the trays; being able to say "thank you" was among his Ha'en-Shin language skills by now.

The being folded a table out of Kaden's bedside cabinet and put his tray onto it. Drex's tray was put onto a small low table next to the window. A pillow next to it was obviously meant for sitting as was the custom here; chairs were not very common, and where they existed, they were less than comfortable for humans or Hrakians since they were built to accommodate tails.

"Right," said Drex, carefully making his way towards the table and lowering himself onto the pillow. "I don't think I need to point out how much trouble you are in. And that's in addition to the dire consequences our mission leaders have threatened to impose upon all of you if there is even the slightest hint of a repeat occurrence. Now eat. We will talk more when we are finished."

"No, you needn't," Kaden agreed. He sounded resigned albeit decidedly unhappy about the confirmation that he was in deep shit. His only question was exactly how great the depth.

The two ate in a comfortable silence. When Kaden had eaten as much as his stomach was going to allow for the moment, he paused. "Sooo, what did they threaten me with, drawn and quartered? Burned at the stake?" he asked, wiping his mouth on a napkin and placing it to one side. "And speaking of dire consequences, how mad are you?" he added as an afterthought.

"Well, from what I gathered," Drex replied, "if there is any further incident of this kind, you will get to spend the remainder of this mission on our starship. I would be extremely displeased if that happened, so I will do my utmost to discourage you from ever doing something like this again. Which, I assume, answers your second question. No, I'm not mad, but I will nonetheless teach you a lesson that you won't soon forget, once your leg is out of that bone knitter and the doctors think you are fit to leave the hospital."

"Oh," Kaden replied. Truth was that if he were being honest with himself, he didn't doubt that he deserved to have his ass kicked.

Some time later, a nurse entered to check his leg. He winced here and there at her probing but apart from that, he really couldn't feel much from his waist down. "Are you going back to the guest quarters?" he asked Drex, not sure if he had more work to do or what was going on. It was almost his usual bedtime and given that he was feeling guilty over having gotten into this situation in the first place, he was trying to make up for it with a stellar run of compliance.

"I think I'll stay," Drex replied to Kaden's question. He was feeling protective of his padawan. After all, and despite the Ha'en-Shins' general kindness, this was a strange world. Even with J-7LI as an interpreter, Kaden might feel alone. Drex was therefore inclined to stay close to Kaden for as long as possible. The hospital staff readily provided him with a mat of the kind they had in their quarters, which could be rolled up during the day, and a blanket. A droid brought him a small bag with toiletry and spare clothes that Tiis had packed for him.

He went outside to discuss a few practical matters with Tiis and Devra on the comm and returned just as a doctor checked on Kaden. Apparently, things were progressing as well as could be expected; the bone knitter would most likely be removed tomorrow and Kaden would have a splint fitted to his ankle.

"Seems like we're all set for the night," Drex said to Kaden. "Let's meditate, then."

Although he didn't let it on, Kaden was relieved that he wasn't going to be left here alone. He smiled as he watched Drex prepare for meditation and sleep. It never ceased to amaze the boy how Drex managed to do things such as locating items in a bag, eating without getting it all over himself and the like. Maybe it was all the years of practice. Meditation with Drex was something he enjoyed, so by the time they were ready to sleep, Kaden was feeling a bit better about things.

He hated not being able to move around, and with the new sounds and unfamiliar environment he was finding it difficult to fall asleep. His mind flitted from his classes at the Temple to wondering what food they'd get for breakfast. Eventually, he started thinking about Nafanda and the others. He doubted they'd gotten off lightly, which reminded him of Angkat's threat. Fuck, would the senior apprentice tear up his ass too? He wasn't sure.

He rolled to his side, well, as much as he could given he had a freakin' gigantic tube stuck to his leg. He was grateful not to be claustrophobic! He squinted to see the Drex-sized lump lying on the floor. He picked up his empty pill container and tossed it at Drex's sleeping form. It was possible to see his white smile in the dim lighting as the container bounced off his master's form and rolled under the trolley adjacent. "You awake?" … Because he couldn't sleep.

"Yes," said Drex quietly. "What is it?"

Kaden shrugged, but the action was totally lost in the darkness. He tossed from his side onto his back and started playing catch with the call button. "Nothing. I'm just bored," he replied. For some reason he didn't want to sleep; he couldn't quiet his mind after all that had happened.

Drex rolled around on his mat, propping his head up on his arm.

"Are you anxious about what's going to happen, upset about what already happened, or are you simply unable to sleep?" he inquired.

It was all of the above! But Kaden, being Kaden, didn't want to admit to what he perceived as weakness. "I don't know," he replied, fumbling the call button. It was an outright lie, and the silence that followed it confirmed that Drex knew it too. He began to twiddle the chord between his fingers. It was unlikely that his master would force him to confide. That said, nor was he going to be thrilled over being lied to. Why he hadn't just said he didn't want to talk about it was beyond him. Perhaps it was because the truth was he DID want to talk about it and his pride was getting in his way.

Drex sensed some of what was going on in Kaden. The boy's pride was a real issue and one that he would need to learn to conquer.

"Padawan, there's no shame in giving an honest answer," he said mildly. "This must have been your first serious injury. And receiving surgery on an alien planet would be a horrifying experience in and of itself. The fact that I couldn't be there was probably not helping either. It's alright to be upset over all this and there's absolutely no need to pretend you aren't. It's just you and me here."

"Maybe you see no shame in it because it wasn't you who was afraid," Kaden replied quietly. It was hard for him to admit to feeling those emotions to himself, let alone outright talk about them with another person. Drex wasn't just any other person, though, Drex was his master; if there was anyone he could talk to about this stuff it was him.

Drex snorted. "Just imagine for a moment," he said, "being on an unknown planet, separated from your padawan, and quite suddenly, out of nowhere, sensing that said padawan is hurting badly. It took as quite a while to get hold of any of you and find out what happened, too. And even when I did, I couldn't rejoin you in a hurry. Do you honestly think I wasn't afraid? Think again."

"I don't know," Kaden said, a hint of exasperation to his tone. "You never seem to be afraid of anything… I've never had surgery before. It… It did bother me and I didn't want to have it done. I kept thinking that if they messed it up, I could lose my leg. I couldn't access the Force properly which was making it all worse, and..." He paused not really wanting to admit this. "You weren't there." There! he'd said it. Strangely, once the initial shame of admitting to fear had faded, he didn't feel as ashamed as he thought. If anything, he felt lighter.

Drex rose from his mat, stood next to Kaden's bed and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know," he said quietly. "That must have been horrible. I was anxious to get to you, but I simply couldn't make it any sooner than I did. And it might not have shown, but I was afraid for you. Very much so. That's nothing to feel bad about. It would be worrying if you hadn't been afraid, in fact."

He gently stroked Kaden's hair back from his forehead in a gesture of affection. "You need to acknowledge such emotions in order to deal with them," he said softly. "Would you like my help with releasing them into the Force?"

Kaden would never admit this aloud, but Drex's touch was soothing. He closed his eyes and for that moment he just let himself be a kid, he allowed himself to be comforted and to accept that comfort sans shame. He knew that acknowledging his emotions was something he needed to work on, so when Drex offered to help him, he agreed.

Half an hour later Kaden was feeling much more at ease. The fear, shame and doubts he had stuffed down and buried with his shields had been flushed out. He rolled onto his side once more, the cumbersome bone knitter making it hard for him to move. "Thanks," he said quietly and placed a hand on Drex's forearm. It was rare that he showed physical affection, but that didn't mean he was void of feelings. It was to the contrary; he loved Drex dearly.

And the feeling was mutual. "You're very welcome," Drex said warmly. "Now sleep". He sent a brief sleep compulsion through their bond. When Kaden's eyelids drooped, he removed his hand and returned to his mat. Five minutes later, he was asleep as well.


	10. Chapter 10

They were woken early, first by a nurse who checked on Kaden's body parameters and compared them to the data she had received from Tiis and Devra, then by another nurse who brought them breakfast which consisted of some kind of fruit stew topped with a cheese-like substance. It was strange, but rather tasty, Drex found. They had just finished when a team of doctors arrived. An hour of activity followed: Kaden's leg was taken out of the bone knitter, scanned, examined thoroughly and then put into a walking splint.

"The doctor says you are allowed to leave now," J-7LI finally translated. "Our hosts have sent a speeder that is waiting in front of the hospital. You will be expected to come back every second day for a checkup. The splint will have to stay on for at least eight days, they assume."

"Eight days! Are you certain you translated that correctly?" Kaden questioned the droid. The slightly indignant reassurance that her words had indeed been correct as she had been specifically programmed for the task caused the boy to sigh. He looked up at Drex, then down at his leg which, although not painful, was going to rule out just about anything other than homework.

"The doctor asks whether any of you have further questions," J-7LI continued.

"I don't," said Drex. "Do you, padawan?"

"I guess not," Kade replied. He had J-7LI thank the hospital and staff for helping him; he was grateful, after all. And then they left.

The speeder ride back to the guest quarters was short but scenic, as far as cities went. "Is everyone else 'home' or out exploring?" Kaden asked Drex.

"I assume they are at our quarters, seeing as AnShin, the blind man we went to visit yesterday, is scheduled to arrive there shortly," Drex replied. "I realise there was no time whatsoever to fill you in. The short version is, we cut the meeting short yesterday due to your injury. AnShin offered to come to the city to visit us, and we took him up on that offer. We'll really have to hurry; the procedure at the hospital took longer than I had hoped. As the presumed leader of our delegation, there's no way I can miss the reception of our guests so I'm really glad they finally released you, else I would have needed to leave before you."

As the speeder stopped, Kaden scrambled awkwardly from the back seat; he was going to hate this whole splint thing by the time eight days were up!

Meanwhile, Drex checked his acoustic chronometer for the time and winced. They really were running late. He helped Kaden along to their quarters as fast as they could make it and said: "Splint or no splint, you have exactly three minutes to change into formal robes. The same goes for me. Get to it."

Kade was about to tell Drex to keep his shirt on, that he was going already, but recalled how much trouble he was in and decided against being a smartass for now. "Yes, master," he replied instead. He was thankful that he had indeed followed Drex's example and hung some of his clothing up. Luckily, it wasn't one of his arms in a splint or this would have been decidedly worse. As it was, he managed to pull on his tunic and even his pants weren't too much of a bother. However, getting on his right sock and boot was just not going to happen. Firstly, neither sock nor boot would fit with a splint on, and secondly, his flexibility wasn't that great. Exactly three minutes later Kaden flopped backwards onto his bed to adjust his obi and belt whilst summoning his cloak from the hook. He ran a hand through his short, spiky padawan's cut and the boy was ready.

AnShin was a rather interesting person. His fur was bright white, clearly marking him as an aged person. Curiously, even some of his students were apparently quite elderly. One of them, a female called MShinti, had conducted some historical research on their gifts and explained her findings to the Jedi.

There had been rare instances of people showing peculiar gifts among the Ha'en-Shin for as long as anyone could remember. Reactions to these people differed a lot, depending on the nature of their gifts, their status in society and the general state of society at the time the gifts occurred. A few lucky ones had been revered for their gifts and allowed to use them freely, or even raised to high ranks, especially if those gifts were useful and non-threatening. The majority had been perceived of as vaguely disquieting and had tried to suppress their gifts, more or less successfully. Some had aroused suspicions to such an extent that they had been expelled or even killed. A few of those had warranted those suspicions, having turned dark and having used their gifts in order to harm or subjugate others. Others had been harmless, but had aroused suspicions nonetheless. It had been particularly bad at a time at which the Ha'en-Shin had been at war with Nuivin, a small neighboring country that had found a way to train gifted children into soldiers with devastating powers. Apparently, the Nuivin had become all but extinct in some catastrophic event possibly related to those soldiers about a century ago. Things had quieted down considerably since then.

AnShin himself had been born blind, the youngest son of a rural middle-class family. Like all blind people in his society, he had been treated with respect, and when he had started to have visions, people took them seriously. They took them all the more seriously when it turned out that a lot of his visions were true. Some showed events in the present, but most related to the not-too-distant future. Being blind, AnShin had been given the time and opportunity to explore his gift and, over time, had managed to find ways to control it. He had also discovered other abilities: He could vaguely sense other beings' emotions; he always knew when people were lying; he had a certain sense of animate and inanimate objects, unusually good instincts and quick reflexes. However, he had never much developed these skills, focussing on his most prominent talent, which was the gift of foresight.

At one point, when he was in his thirties, a government official visited him, which was not an unusual occurrence in itself; AnShin regularly related the content of some of his visions to the government (although he employed his own judgement as to the parts he preferred to withhold). This time, however, the official brought a twelve-year-old girl from Mashen who seemed to show the same unusual gift as AnShin and asked him whether he could teach her how to use it. Over the years, AnShin had trained roughly two dozen students. They formed a small community of their own, living on a farm that AnShin had been given by his people.

Interrogating AnShin about his gift and his students' gifts, the Jedi realised quickly that AnShin's community did not accept all types of Force-sensitive children. There were some Ha'en-Shin who possessed unusual gifts of some kind, but did not have the gift foresight. AnShin felt that their talents were entirely unrelated to the skills that he possessed and that he was able and willing to teach; therefore, he had never accepted such individuals as his students. He had no concept of the Force as a unifying energy; his interest was related to a specific talent, the gift of foresight, of whose deeper source he had no knowledge. Drex had the feeling that Ha'en-Shin children who shared AnShin's specific brand of Force awareness might be well-placed within this emerging community of Force-sensitives; others, not so much. They would need to explore this issue further. Most likely, Drex and Kaden would be the ones doing it since they would not be able to move far away from Mashen for a while anyway.

Kaden found the information they got from the elderly Ha'en-Shin interesting, but he thought AnShin himself to be more so. His presence felt calming in a way that he rarely found in any Jedi under the age of 60. He sat quietly with the other apprentices, all of whom were polite and silent through the meeting.

Finally, the meeting was concluded and a big buffet-style lunch was served in the gardens. Nafanda immediately made her way over to Kaden, even before she had thought of filling her plate. And this was saying something!

"You okay?" she asked in concern. "Listen, I'm so sorry. I can't even express how sorry I am. How anyone can be as clumsy as me, I cannot fathom. If it's any consolation, my master mightily kicked my butt for it. But I know that won't make your foot any better."

Kaden was busy loading his plate when Nafanda approached him. He turned towards her, continuing to pile some green concoction onto his plate as she spoke. Her words, however, had him pause. "Aw, hey, it's okay. I'm okay," he reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll live." He glanced at Drex briefly and swallowed at the thought of what he had coming. "Maybe," he corrected and put on a brave face. "I'm sorry your master kicked your ass. Brill's still shifting in his seat and Angkat keeps giving me the stink-eye. I'm not sure who I feel worse for at the moment, myself or you guys. At least I've managed to avoid that sort of discussion with my master so far." He picked up an empty plate and passed it to Nafanda. Then, he took the serving spoon once again. "You wanna try some of the green stuff?" he asked, spoon poised.

Nafanda gave it a skeptical look, but finally nodded. "Yeah, okay," she said. "Don't worry about Angkat. He's pissed, but I don't think anyone's gonna let him do anything to us. He got into plenty of trouble for not looking after us. I tried to apologise to him, but he didn't seem all that placated. Anyway, don't you think your master will kind of consider you punished enough? I mean, your leg was actually pretty badly hurt from what I saw and what Master Tiis told me."

"I tried that one on him already. He said he was going to…" He put on his best Drex voice. "…make sure I wouldn't be tempted to try anything like this again." Kaden sighed. "I guess I deserve it. I knew what to expect if we got caught." He put a scoop of the green stuff on Nafanda's plate and continued to another server full of vegetables in some sort of curry. Again, he picked up the serving spoon and started ladling some onto his plate. He didn't particularly care what food it was, as long as it wasn't moving.

Nafanda picked something that looked like fish filet and something white and mushy that later turned out to taste exceptionally good. "Yeah, me too," she admitted. "It was stupid, in hindsight. But so's a lot of fun stuff. I just wish my master wouldn't turn out to be right about these things quite that often. It makes me feel as if I'll take a hundred years to be knighted."

Before Kaden had a chance to react to that, a young Ha'en-Shin with soft, light-grey fur and unusual blue eyes approached them. She belonged to AnShin's group, but had not spoken during the meeting at all. "Hel-Lo," she said slowly in an obvious attempt to speak Basic. "I-Am-Tivili."

"Hello," said Nafanda. "I'm Nafanda. Are you AnShin's apprentice?"

The young girl looked at her uncomprehendingly. Nafanda sighed and looked around. Catching a protocol droid's eye, she beckoned him over. "Could you tell her that I'm Nafanda and he's Kaden and we are both Jedi apprentices?" she asked.

It turned out that Tivili was just thirteen and currently the youngest member of AnShin's group. She was very, very curious about the Jedi and their way of life. "Your masters said you even have special weapons," she said excitedly. "Is that true? How do they work? Could you show me?"

Kaden turned to face Tivili and smiled. He knew they weren't meant to speak to Ha'en-Shin children without permission, but he wasn't sure if she was a child or not. Was thirteen a child? He didn't think so but neither was he certain. When no one scolded them, he began to relax and started to take in her appearance. She was pretty to Kaden, who had a soft spot for furry beings, and her eyes were engaging.

He was busy trying to look her over without being obvious about it when the droid translated her next words. Again, an alarm went off in his mind as he recalled their edict not to talk of weapons; it was why they were all without their lightsabers at the moment, after all. Reflexively, a hand moved to the spot on his belt where his saber would have hung, and he glanced briefly at Nafanda before turning to their droid. "Tell her that we do, and that we probably would show her if it wasn't against what we've been told about the Ha'en-Shin; it's meant to be considered offensive?" It was half question, half statement, but the droid pulled the translation off perfectly.

Tivili's ears turned outwards, which was the equivalent of a human's blushing. She looked around herself, making sure that no one was listening, and answered something that the protocol droid translated rather more loudly than she had spoken: "She says that this is true, but that she heard the Jedi use their weapons only in defence. This is like the Ha'en-Shin who also own weapons, but only to defend themselves. She says that it is normally bad manners to speak about this, and she apologises that her curiosity got the better of her. She hopes you are not offended."

The droid translated back that neither Nafanda nor Kaden were offended. As to Tivili's request for a weapons demonstration, Kaden's initial response had been to say "sure, why not," but his recent spate of poor decisions had him rethinking that.

He looked to Nafanda who was looking just as perplexed as he was, and then back to Tivili. "If you're curious we could ask our masters about it. They will make sure that nothing gets out of hand with your customs and the like. For now, let's eat?" Kaden had their droid translate. He couldn't politely fit much more on his plate, but he did his best in any case.

"Yes, eat! Eat!" Tivili told them enthusiastically and pointed out several dishes that she thought they should try.

Once the dining part of the meal was over, conversations broke out. Kaden waited until it was polite to do so, and then quietly told his master what Tivili had requested and what he thought of the request. "I don't see the harm in it, personally, but we thought it best to run it by you first," he concluded.

Drex heard Kaden out patiently while AnShin was briefly busy with their hosts. He thought for a moment.

"I think it would be best if I asked AnShin about this," he finally said, "but in a quiet moment, when nobody is listening. We will be assigned to work with his community and find out all about their way of life anyway, so there will be enough time. I really don't want to offend anyone, and chances are that this is what would happen if we started holding lightsaber presentations for one of their children, as curious as she might be. Thank you for asking me about this instead of rushing into it, padawan."

Kaden nodded. He honestly hadn't seen any issue with showing his lightsaber to Tivili, but then again, he tended to trust his master, so when he was told that they'd wait the boy didn't argue. He finished his lunch. It was delicious as had been the meal the night before.

The meeting finally wound to a close. It was agreed that Drex and Kaden would pay a visit to AnShin's farming community the following morning and stay there during the day; their hosts would provide a shuttle. The idea of spending time at a farming community didn't exactly fill Kaden with excitement. He did not voice this during the meeting, though. He merely nodded whilst they were discussing it, doing his best to feign interest.

AnShin and his students left and the gathering slowly dispersed. Nafanda was shooed away for meditation. Hennar and Triz agreed that Brill needed a workout and Angkat would be the one to provide it. Angkat looked resigned, albeit not exactly thrilled about that idea, but what could he do?

"Well, padawan," said Drex calmly when it was clear that there was nothing further left to do or decide for him. "Let's go to my room, then."

When Drex mentioned that they'd be heading back to his room, Kade suddenly wished he was going with the others. "Wait. Can't we spar with Angkat and Brill?" he suggested, hobbling along beside the man. So what if his leg was all busted up, anything was preferable to what he suspected Drex had in store for him.

"Padawan, your leg is in a splint," Drex pointed out drily. "If you want to work out, we will have to focus on your arm muscles, which can always use the training. But not right now. Right now we need to discuss your punishment for trying Force-enhanced running without permission and supervision."

He opened the door to his room and pointed Kaden inside.

"I was thinking Soresu!" Not that Drex let him do anything but. The boy sighed; it had been a long shot in any case. He hobbled in ahead of his master and stood somewhat awkwardly against the trunk which was the only piece of furniture in the room besides the roll-out beds. Gaze fixed on the floor, he remained silent which was nothing new for the rather stoic teen, especially so when he was in trouble.

"Well, the last time I checked, you couldn't do Soresu walking on your hands," Drex replied serenely. "How is your foot holding up? Any aches and pains?"

The hospital had given him pills in case Kaden's foot bothered him. Of course, giving him a painkiller just before dealing out a major spanking would not be a good strategy. Since Kaden's health had priority, the spanking that was in his future might have to wait.

Kaden thought that performing soresu on his hands was preferable if it meant he could avoid this conversation…

"Any aches and pains?" he replied incredulously, thinking that if he didn't have them now, he was going to have a few more if he told the truth. He thought about that for a moment. Then, he let out a huff. He couldn't lie; that would just make it ten times worse. "No. It feels like someone has something tight wrapped around my leg which is annoying and uncomfortable, but not particularly painful." He paused, considering his options. "But if I say it is, can we talk about the whole Force-enhanced running thing some other time? Like, after I'm knighted or something?"

"Yes, nice try," said Drex. "But thank you for being honest with me. Go and fetch me my hairbrush, then. It's on the shelf in my refresher." It should be fairly easy to find since the refresher was tiny and Drex had unpacked very few items.

The expression on Kaden's face at receiving that particular order was truly pathetic, albeit resigned; he knew what to expect for disobeying. Still, that didn't mean he had to like it. He knew where the thing was, he just didn't want to go get it! He stood there shifting around uncomfortably for a moment, silently hoping that the man would retract the order. He did not. Suffice it to say that Kaden didn't have much of a choice. He either did as he was told or Drex would make the ass-kicking that bit more spectacular, he assumed. The brush was, of course, exactly where he was told it would be. He picked the thing up and winced. It was solid, heavy and looked well-used. Wordlessly, he turned and took the horrid thing back to where Drex was waiting for him. "I shouldn't have done it," he said resignedly and held out the brush for his master to take.

"No, you shouldn't," Drex agreed, accepting the hairbrush. "You should have taken your safety a lot more seriously than this. Especially during a mission. You are at that age where teenagers tend to think they are invulnerable. That is a notion you need to drop immediately, or you will indeed find yourself spending the rest of this mission on our ship. Not to speak of the very sore bottom you are reliably going to receive for being this careless with your health, besides being disobedient. If you hadn't been hurt, rest assured that I would be spanking you every night for a week."

Just like his fellow masters, he pondered for a moment how best to do this, given the general lack of furniture. Finally, he sat at the right edge of the trunk and said: "Bare your bottom and bend over." That way, Kaden could rest his torso on the trunk and his legs would be hanging down. It was not the most convenient of positions, but it would have to do.

The prospect of being spanked every night for a week was sobering to Kaden. Sure, Drex had given it to him two days running at one occasion, but a whole week! He couldn't imagine that. He blew out a groan at the order to lose his pants and bend over. He didn't want to put his ass, bare or otherwise, anywhere near Drex when he was fixing to wallop him with that horrible brush. It really hurt! He briefly considered making a run for the door, but only briefly. Firstly, it wasn't in his nature to be cowardly, and secondly, he had no idea what his master would actually do to increase the punishment; he'd have to come back sooner or later, after all. He pondered that for a moment as he messed with the clasp on his belt and dropped his pants. Kaden glanced at the man's lap. Then, very awkwardly, he laid himself across the front of Drex's right knee so he was kind of diagonal. It was uncomfortable to say the least, not to mention humiliating, as he was forced to reposition his junk so it wasn't getting mashed. He knew why Drex insisted on this position, but Kaden still hated it with a passion. Before his master could start in on him, he glanced back and asked – both out of curiosity and in the hopes of stalling the inevitable – asked: "Did any of your padawans ever try making a run for it?"

"Yes, Taishin did, and I was faster," said Drex calmly. "I assume she had not expected me to be. Nor had she expected to receive two spankings instead of one, which is what trying to run away would earn you as well. So you'd better forget about it."

He stuck the hairbrush into his belt for the moment, adjusted Kaden's position a little so that his bottom was even more easily accessible and started swatting said bottom with his hand at a measured pace, but quite hard.

Had this not been such a dire situation, Kaden might have appreciated the nerve making a run for it would take. Unfortunately, he didn't get much time to ponder that; a moment later Drex was shifting him around in a way that was all too familiar to the boy. He wanted to beg off. To say something, anything!? But there was nothing he could think of that would get him out of this now short of the roof falling in. So he did the only thing left in his control, being, he squinted his eyes shut and, as the first smack landed, he started praying for natural disasters. He hissed and grunted his way through the first dozen or so, but sadly for him Drex was really letting him have it, and pretty soon he was yelping and wriggling with each smack.

Drex continued swatting Kaden's bottom with his large and calloused hand until the boy's yelps had turned into one continuous howl and his backside felt very hot to the touch. Only then did he pull the hairbrush out of his belt.

"When I set rules for your safety, I expect you to mind them," he said grimly, bringing the hairbrush down firmly. "I never again want you to even think of doing things you are not cleared to do yet." Another energetic swat followed suit.

Kaden didn't know whether to be thankful for the pause or horrified because he knew what it meant. He settled on a mixture of both and tried to listen as Drex lectured him. "AHH! AHHHH!" he yelled. He hated that god-awful thing. It felt like the ass was being whaled clean off him! The thing was, he knew that wasn't true, primarily because the pain was far too acute for it to be detached from his body. As the next few landed, he gripped the top of the trunk with his right hand, unconsciously reached back with his left and grabbed onto his master's tunic; this hurt, it really fucking hurt!

Hairbrush spankings were never fun (and they were, of course, not meant to be), but this one was particularly long and particularly thorough. That was because Drex did not want his padawan to be hurt if it could at all be avoided. Taking unnecessary risks to one's safety was a serious offense, even more serious than disobedience and dishonesty; and coupled with both, well… it made for a rather memorable punishment that Drex did not intend to end before Kaden was as sorry as he could possibly be.

Kaden was doing his best to keep it together, but this had to be the worst ass-kicking Drex had ever given him. He kicked out with his good leg (because he simply couldn't stop himself), writhed, yelled and eventually started wailing. He didn't know how his master kept him from wriggling right off his lap as he was quite tall and heavy for a fourteen year old, not that this was topmost in his mind at that moment. No. He was too busy hollering and making unrealistic promises of stellar behaviour on behalf of himself, his future padawan and his padawan's padawan!

Drex continued, entirely unperturbed. This was indeed possibly the hardest spanking he had dealt out yet. They were on a mission, after all, which made Kaden's recklessness and disobedience all the worse. His padawan had decided to do something he was not cleared to do in the full knowledge that he was disobeying. Drex intended to give him reason to be a lot less nonchalant about the potential consequences of such actions, should temptation arise in the future.

"AHHH! Ahawahh'Ow! M-Mas-ter! S-STOP!" he blurted between smacks, not that it seemed to have much effect. The boy continued to writhe, kick, buck and squirm until he could stand it no longer. Eventually he fell limp, his howling turning into a truly piteous wail.

Drex dealt out a full dozen additional hard swats after Kaden had reached this point. Only then did he put the hairbrush aside and rested his hand on his padawan's back lightly in a comforting gesture.

That last twelve hurt like nothing else. The boy practically squealed – which for Kaden was really saying something! By the time Drex stopped, he was bawling shamelessly. His voice was hoarse from all the screaming match he'd just delivered and his ass, well, his ass felt like Drex had literally set the thing on fire. He was still kicking and squirming even though he was no longer being spanked, he simply couldn't help it. It took Kaden a solid minute to start calming down, and only then did his hands reach back in an effort to rub out some of the burn Drex had ignited.

Kaden's backside fairly radiated heat, and Drex had no doubt that, unless offered healing, Kaden would not be able to sit for quite some time. Of course, Drex would prevent that by supplying Kaden with a generous dose of bacta, but not right now. He helped Kaden up and rummaged around in his bag to produce a big handkerchief that he handed to his crying padawan.

"I want you to spend the afternoon in your room and reflect on your choices," he told Kaden. "You may come and see me at six, before dinner. Until then, you are to stay in your room." With the beautiful weather outside and the grounds to explore, this would be quite some additional punishment; but then, Kaden was supposed to rest his leg anyway. And having him perform community service in the healers' wing was hardly an option here.

The handkerchief was accepted gratefully; Kaden was a hot mess! He swiped snot and tears from his face, not caring that he looked a truly piteous sight. He swiped his pants from the floor where they had been kicked off earlier and very, very carefully pulled them up. Had he not wanted to walk back to his room with some semblance of dignity, he would have certainly gone without them.

Drex's orders did not fill the boy with joy. Then again, he doubted they were meant to. "Yes, master," he replied quietly and subduedly, because there was no way Kaden was going to question anything Drex said right now. He looked longingly out the window; it really was a beautiful sunny day and being grounded to his room was going to grate. Groaning and still sniffling, Kaden limped back to his bedroom where he planned to sulk over the unfairness of life in general for the afternoon. Thankfully, the only two who saw him were Devra and Tiis, both of whom gave him pointed expressions as he walked to his room. It was going to suck being stuck in here, but he guessed there could be worse things.

Drex did not usually like to ground his padawan, least of all to his room, but he really thought that Kaden needed some time for this punishment to sink in before Drex offered healing and they could return to business as usual. Besides, Drex wanted to meditate by himself for a while. He felt quite off-balance; seeing his padawan hurt, in a place with no known and trusted healers around, had worried him more than he had let on. He meditated for a good hour and then went to look for Devra and Tiis in order to discuss mission plans for the next few days. The other teams were going to be sent to various countries tomorrow; it would be his and Kaden's job to gather more information about the Ha'en-Shin, and about AnShin's community in particular.

A few minutes before six, Drex was back in his room, waiting for Kaden.

Kaden had spent the afternoon in his room as asked. The state of his backside and condition of his leg made the very idea of disobeying that order completely ludicrous to the boy. However, he did spend a moment or two wondering what such a thing would earn him. Expulsion from the order? Nah, too heavy. Council intervention? Quite possibly… An ass so sore that he would not sit for a week? Definitely. He winced at his thoughts, then turned his attention back to the clock. It was almost six, so he rose from his bed and reluctantly pulled on his pants; his ass was killing him, but the last few minutes notwithstanding, he had done as asked and reflected on his choices.

At exactly six on the dot Kaden tapped on Drex's door, then pushed it open. He entered, a sheepish expression on his face and the equivalent emotion radiating through their bond. He stood there quietly, waiting for the man to acknowledge his presence.

Drex was sitting cross-legged on his mat, smiling in Kaden's direction. "Come here," he offered, shifting so that most of the mattress was free. "If you lie on your stomach, I will try to see to it that you will be able to sit during dinner."

Sitting often meant kneeling or sitting cross-legged on pillows on the ground around here; the Ha'en-Shin had a tail, after all. Drex assumed that, after the spanking Kaden had received, the boy's bottom must cause him quite a bit of suffering, and he thought that this had gone on long enough. Drex was not a particularly accomplished healer and usually preferred to just hand out bacta, but today's punishment had been rather severe and he suspected that a touch of Force-healing, in addition to bacta, would be welcome.

The expression on his Drex's face was welcoming, not that Kade expected the man to be pissed at him; Drex was rarely angry at anything although he suspected that he had truly worried the man with his reckless behaviour given the state of his ass. It was needless to say that when Drex offered healing, Kaden did not hesitate. He dropped his trousers (he wasn't wearing underwear as his ass hurt too much for that) and was lying on his stomach in a heartbeat. The bacta stung, but it was nothing, comparatively speaking. "I don't think that's gonna help. I think you actually broke my ass," he said, his tone slightly accusational, but mostly relieved. Bacta worked fast, and the Force-aided healing would help a bit with any bruising.

"Oh, I do think it's going to help," Drex said gently, spreading the bacta across Kaden's buttocks and letting some healing energy spread into the damaged tissue. "And I know I was harsh. But I'm afraid you deserved it."

Kaden nodded. He knew he had deserved what he'd been given. Still, he didn't have to like it, and he really had not. It hurt like a bastard and he was convinced that he'd never sit again even with bacta! As it turned out, the bacta did indeed help, and with Drex alleviating some of the bruising, he was going to be sitting again sooner than he had believed.

While Drex worked, he said: "I talked to Tiis and Devra about the next part of our mission. Since the two of us are stuck here for a while, everybody else will go to other places and leave us here to learn more about the Ha'en-Shin, and about AnShin's community in particular. This might have happened anyway because the high respect these people have for blind persons definitely works to my advantage. We have no way of knowing whether other cultures will react the same way. The Ha'en-Shin will provide us with a vehicle, a driver and a guide who speaks Basic. We will take J-7LI anyway. The Ha'en-Shin seem nice enough, but I don't want to rely on their translations exclusively."

"Okay, so tomorrow we spend the day at AnShin's community," Kaden repeated. Drex had told him this was what they would be doing earlier, but for some reason he found himself restating just in case he had changed his mind. The boy wasn't thrilled at the idea of a day sitting around, but what else could he do given the state of his leg? He relaxed a little more as the healing began to take effect and blew out a sigh. "I'm gonna go nuts with this thing on for eight days," he confided. Kaden wasn't as fidgety as some, but he really was going to miss their sparring sessions, even if it was only Soresu... Plus, he had a feeling their workouts would be focused on his upper body strength over that time and he wasn't looking forward to that either. He was already quite muscular for a boy of fourteen, but the saying was true when it came to muscle development: no pain, no gain.

Drex patted his thigh once letting him know he was finished. Kaden rose and craned his neck to check the man's handiwork. "Thanks," he said, genuinely grateful that, despite some lingering pain, he would be able to sit down.

Dinner that evening was similar to the night before. They all met in the garden under a huge beeh tree, which apparently only grew on this planet and whose sap was used to dress wounds. Kaden was seated by Nafanda and her master Eleena, and to Drex's right once again. "It's super mushy and bright red; it will most definitely stain," the boy whispered to his blind master, he'd taken to cluing the man in on the consistency of some of the trickier foods and noticed that he seemed to appreciate his help. Whether or not it was needed he didn't know, but Kaden liked to be useful.

Drex, of course, had no clue what "bright red" meant but he had a vague idea what type of food was supposedly red. More importantly, he knew that it was likely to cause visible stains on his garments. On the other hand, this stuff was quite good when topped with the mix of nuts and herbs that their hosts had put next to it. He would simply have to be careful when eating it.

"We are traveling to the island state of Quqauhahi tomorrow," Nafanda told Kaden. "Apparently, their main source of income is tourism. They have great beaches. We will take some kind of hovercraft to get there. Tiis thinks that, since they have tourists from all over the planet, they will be less likely to be hostile towards us 'aliens'. He has assigned cultures he isn't so sure about to the more experienced team members."

Kaden nodded. He couldn't help but feel a little envious of Nafanda and the others who were all branching out to explore whilst he was not able to. "Sounds like it would be fun," he managed to reply without telegraphing his feelings and took another bite. The food was delicious! He explained what Drex and himself were doing over the next eight days. Then, he asked where the others were going. Apparently everyone was off to explore something different.

By the time their evening meditation had come around, Kaden was feeling a little crestfallen. He was not particularly looking forward to their assignment tomorrow, though. He would do what was asked of him, of course, but he wished Drex and himself were off exploring other regions with the others. By bedtime, his ass was still hurting but nothing like it had earlier. Thus, he was able to sleep without issue.

The next morning, after the others had left, they were taken to AnShin's community. Drex had decided that they would spend every second day there. Staying for longer periods of time would be difficult due to Kaden's scheduled checkups at the hospital; besides, they needed to explore Mashen and some other places.

Compared to Coruscant, the country was very thinly populated indeed. It was almost entirely cultivated, though; there was no wilderness to speak of, at least in the region they traversed. Drex asked their guide, a young black-furred man called HayenShay, about that. HayenShay told them that most of Ha'en-Shin was cultivated but that there were wild forests in the south of the country. "Does nobody live there?" asked Drex.

HayenShay hesitated. "A few tribes that refused to be… how do you say? Civilised," he finally replied. "And... what is the word… outcasts?"

"Who are these outcasts?" asked Drex.

HayenShay's ears turned back in discomfort. "They do not want to live with us," he tried to explain. "With our rules. So they go. We think they live like savages."

He was clearly reluctant to talk about the topic any further, so Drex did not press him. But he was already mentally processing ways to make it to that area; it was unlikely that their officially appointed guide would take them. "Could you have an inconspicuous look at the map?" he asked Kaden in a low voice. "What's in the south, besides the forests? Any cities or sights? Or adjacent countries?"

Kaden nodded imperceptibly at Drex's instructions. Then, when Drex had engaged their guide in some conversation that held his complete attention, he seized the opportunity and glanced over the map. There wasn't much to the south, it really was mostly forest as HayenShay had told them. There was a thin strip of land that ran from the south corner and joined the next country, which he communicated, as best he could, across his bond with Drex when their guide had finished speaking.

AnShin and the others were waiting for them when they returned, but it was Tivili who stood up and greeted them first. She seemed to be the most outgoing and curious among them. This part of their mission might just turn out to be more interesting than Kaden had originally given it credit for.


	11. Chapter 11

AnShin welcomed them cordially and proposed they spend a day at the farm and observe the everyday life of the small community. "I usually take it in turns to work with the younger ones on their gift," he said as he led them to the main house, all his explanations being translated by J-7LI. "The adults devote some time every day to meditation and the quest for visions, too. KuonHai, who went to university in her youth, teaches the younger ones reading, writing, arithmetic and other subjects. Apart from that, we grow fruit and vegetables on our farm that we sell on a market in Mashen. Tivili, maybe you could show Master Drex's apprentice around the gardens and orchards?"

"Sure," said Tivili eagerly. "I've got pet angkangchins, too. I'll show you. Come on!" She beckoned Kaden towards a gate that led into an orchard in full bloom.

Kaden looked to Drex for permission.

Drex nodded at Kaden. "You may go," he said, smiling at him. "Take J-7LI. HayenShay can translate for me."

"Thanks," Kade replied. Then, not missing a beat, he and J-7LI followed Tivili into the gardens. These were standard for a farming community, meaning that they were pretty but also cleverly 'foodscaped,' a term that Kade learned meant that most of the plants here were useful in some way or another. The orchards were impressive, which had him wondering… "How do you help these grow?" he asked, picking a ripe fruit from a pink flowered tree. He wasn't sure to what extent AnShin's community could utilise the Force and to what capacity, but he was curious to know.

Tivili listened to J-7LI's translation in apparent confusion. "What do you mean, help these grow?" she asked. "It rains often enough around here. We use fertilizer for the berries, cabbages and herbs, but the trees don't need it. Their roots run deep enough."

"Sometimes, if we aren't chosen as a padawan, we are sent to something called the AgriCorps. There we learn to use our gifts to help crops grow. I was wondering if AnShin does this, too. You all have foresight, so maybe you can use other skills you didn't realise you had also." Kaden wasn't sure what mentioning this would result in, but he thought Tivili, of all people, would appreciate the information. As their droid translated, Kaden knelt and stretched his hand out towards a small bud. Very slowly, the bud began to swell until it split open and an orange flower emerged. He smiled and stood. "See?"

Tivili stared at him in awe. "Do you think I could do that, too?" she asked excitedly. "AnShin keeps telling me I have no other skills. I can see the future, but I think I can't do it as well as some of the others can. Sometimes, I feel as if I can do other stuff, though. I sense people's feelings. Once, I even managed to influence someone but AnShin got angry with me and forbade me from trying it again. But this - this can't be bad, can it?"

Kaden tilted his head to one side. Empaths were not exactly common at the temple, but neither where they unheard of. He wondered if Tivili was an empath, and if so, why she had been forbidden to use her ability to help others. It did occur to him that AnShin might not have the experience to train someone like her properly and perhaps that was one reason she wasn't allowed to progress. He looked down at the blooming flower and saw no harm in this either. What possible harm could come from making plants grow? Besides, most all Jedi could do it to some extent. Shrugging, he held out his hand and established a weak link with the girl. Then, he began to show her how it felt; explaining such a thing using words would be near impossible.

Tivili was used to linking with others. She normally did so in order to show AnShin or other teachers her visions. Her face glowed with excitement as she tried to follow Kaden's lead and channel some energy into a bud. First, nothing happened. Then the bud exploded, shattering leaves everywhere. "Oh," said Tivili, clapping her hand across her mouth and giving Kaden a guilty look.

"Too much gas, not enough clutch," Kaden summarised. At receiving a confused expression, he realised his error; she didn't understand the translation. "Not so open," he rephrased for the droid. "Not completely closed either. Just a bit, taper it," he coached, as what remained of Tivili's bud floated to his boots; the girl was potent. Untrained, but potent. He was curious: could he help her? "Try like this," he suggested, pleased that she was familiar with how to link minds. Again, he closed his eyes, stilled his Force presence and reached out to a closed bud, and again it bloomed to life. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Gentle, don't try to push or force it."

Tivili tried again, and this time, it worked a little better. "Wow, that's so great!" she said exuberantly (although it sounded rather funny when translated by the droid). "I've always known I can do other things, even though AnShin said I shouldn't. Say..." She lowered her voice and looked around herself before continuing: "Are you able to move objects without touching them, by any chance?"

Before Kaden had any chance to answer that, however, the tapping of a stick could be heard and a rather displeased-looking AnShin appeared in the garden, closely followed by Drex who motioned for his padawan to join him.

Meanwhile, AnShin said something to Tivili that sounded a lot less gentle than he usually spoke. Tivili shrank back and answered in a whisper, upon which she was obviously very harshly scolded in her native language.

"What happened?" Drex asked Kaden in a low voice. "AnShin suddenly jumped up and said he'd better check what the two of you are doing."

"I was coaching her through using the Force to help plants grow," Kaden answered, gesturing to the tree they had been standing next to. "I didn't think it would tick him off. She's actually quite strong in the Force. Had she been born in the Republic, there's no doubt the Temple would have found her. Should I apologise?" Kaden kept his voice low as AnShin could be heard scolding Tivili behind them.

Drex shook his head. "No, don't apologise," he said quietly. "You have done nothing wrong. I sense an unusual amount of anger in AnShin, and I wonder why that is."

At this point, AnShin barked something that had Tivili squeal in fear and start to sob. Then AnShin turned on his heel and made his way back to the house. He had apparently ordered Tivili not to move, though, for she stayed rooted to the spot.

"What did he say to her?" Drex asked J-7LI.

"He threatened to make her an outcast if she does this again," replied the droid.

Drex frowned. This did not make sense to him at all. He knelt down next to the crying girl and sent her a wave of calming energy through the Force, for all it was worth.

Kaden was a Jedi padawan and not easily intimidated, at that. However, at seeing and sensing the anger radiating from AnShin, he had to admit that he was pleased to have Drex between himself and the man. He nodded, pleased to hear that he had done nothing wrong, but frowned at J-7LI's translation. "An outcast? What, for helping a flower bloom? That's just ridiculous," he said, not bothering to lower his voice. Thankfully, by this time AnShin was well out of earshot. Kaden held up a finger gesturing that the droid not translate his comment just as a darkly-furred Ha'en-Shin female that reminded him a bit of their guide, HayenShay, entered carrying a couple of thin whippy-looking rods.

Unlike their guide, TeHevl was lithe and had distinctly feminine features. Kaden watched as she approached, his focus fixed on the few rods she carried for a moment before it returned to Drex. "Master?" he asked through their bond, not sure how best to proceed; should they leave? Should they try to stop what he suspected was about to go down? The boy didn't know. He stood aside in any case and waited.

TeHevl was not generally responsible for meting out correction to those in their small community, but Tivili was the youngest amongst them, and apparently AnShin was not quite angry enough to order one of the larger men to deal with her. Still, this was not going to be pleasant, something that Tivili knew also if the expression on her face was anything to go by. "Stand up, shirt off and arms out," J-7LI translated TeHevl's instructions automatically.

Drex rubbed the girl's back briefly in a gesture of affection, rose and stood back beside Kaden. Even though he could not see the rods, he could tell that whatever was going to go down was not going to be pleasant. Unfortunately, it was not his place to interfere; but unless they were ordered to leave, they could observe. And since Drex wanted to know what was going on, he was going to stay if at all possible.

Tivili, in the meanwhile, obeyed without question although she was trembling and her fur was on end. She had calmed down a little after Drex's kind touch, however; Drex could sense it and wondered how much true affection the girl received in her life, for all the kindness and serenity that AnShin usually projected. Tivili stood up, pulled off her shirt, knotted it around her waist and stretched out her arms, raising them slightly in what seemed to be a familiar position to her. Her ears were turned inwards in a sign of fear and distress, but she held her position.

"Why?" TeHevl asked Tivili as she stepped to the side of the girl. When the expected answer was received she brought the rods back behind her and swished them upwards to strike at the tender flesh of her inner arms and armpit area. "Yes, you know better than to meddle with things like that. Our gifts are not to be misused for such things; it could lead to distraction and danger," TeHevl reiterated, swishing the rods up twice more. She could tell this was really hurting the girl, but she had broken the laws of their community and this was the price if she wanted to stay. J-7LI continued to translate the monologue between the two, not that there was much of it after that as Tivili was experiencing significant discomfort.

Kaden stood half a step behind Drex to his left, his hands gently clasped at the small of his back which was ramrod straight. It was a rather formal, traditional pose for a padawan, and one he did not assume often, unless he was feeling either intimidated or he was standing in front of the Council or an extremely ticked off master. He did not like what he was seeing. It was unfamiliar to him, yet TeHevl did not strike the girls face or seem to be doing her more harm than Drex did when using physical discipline. Perhaps this was the equivalent of a spanking? He didn't know. The boy was projecting his feelings to Drex, but otherwise his shields remained closed.

Drex could, of course, still not see what was going on, but from what he witnessed, it was fairly clear that this was the Ha'en-Shin version of corporal punishment. Tivili radiated pain through the Force, but no more so than his own apprentice did when he received a dose of his master's hairbrush. Thus, this was not what worried Drex. What he was confused about was the reason for this harsh punishment, combined with the apparently ultimate threat of being made an outcast.

Tivili managed to control her reaction to the pain, for she knew that self-discipline was expected of her. Her face contorted and her ears were playing wildly, but she kept her arms up and stayed silent. TeHevl was thorough, however, and when she struck Tivili's extremely sensitive armpits twice in quick succession, the girl let out a wail of pain and threw her head back. She still kept her arms up, though; she knew that she was on no account to remove herself from punishment or she would receive punishment strokes to the soles of her feet. She had only ever allowed that to happen once; it was excruciatingly painful.

Drex bowed down and spoke in Kaden's ear: "I'm going to talk to AnShin. Please don't interfere, but feel free to offer comfort unless anyone forbids you to do so. I will meet you back here later. I would take you, but I have a feeling that Tivili could use all the comfort she can get; and maybe you can get her to tell you more about the outcasts."

Tivili's self-control in the face of what must have been a painful punishment impressed the boy. He had not expected her to hold that position and yet for one reason or another she had managed. He watched on, seemingly impassive, as TeHevl snapped the rods and tossed them into the garden. Then, she turned the girl towards a stone bench where according to their droid's translations she was to sit for an undisclosed period of time and reflect on the choices that had led to this. The female then left the garden, preceding Drex on her way back to AnShin.

Kaden didn't say anything. Instead, he sat by the girls side and put an arm about her back in what he hoped would be taken as a comforting gesture. He dare not openly use the Force to comfort her, so he settled on sending small bursts of reassurance across the tentative link they had established.

Drex had entered the house's central room and sensed AnShin sitting there, unmoving. Their guide, who must have waited for their return, was there as well. "May I?" Drex asked, pulling out a chair.

"Yes," said AnShin quietly. He sounded pensive. Suddenly, he turned towards the guide and said something in Ha'en-Shin to her. Drex could sense a certain reluctance in her, but she obviously did not dare contradict AnShin. "Please wait here," she told Drex and left. A minute later, J-7LI was ushered inside and the door closed behind her. Now AnShin and Drex were alone with the droid. AnShin looked as if he wanted to speak but something held him back. Therefore, Drex decided to take the initiative.

"I have to admit I'm curious," Drex said bluntly. "Why is it that Tivili's action earned her punishment and even the threat of being made an outcast?"

"Because she did something that was forbidden," AnShin replied. "Do you allow your apprentice to disobey you?"

"No," said Drex. "But I would not forbid him to help plants grow. Why is Tivili not allowed to do this? I am not trying to judge, mind you; I am merely trying to understand."

"It is forbidden because it is unnatural," said AnShin fervently. "It is not what our gift is supposed to be used for, and she knows it."

"Why should it be unnatural?" asked Drex. "She is able to do it. So would you if you gave it a try."

"But I won't," AnShin ground out. "It is against the rules, and there is no place in our community for people who keep breaking the rules."

Drex was silent for a long moment. Then he said, very gently: "Forgive me if I keep asking, but it appears to me that it is you who is setting these rules."

For a moment, he was not sure whether AnShin would kick him out. Maybe it was Drex's age, or his blindness, that prevented him from doing this. Then, suddenly, something very startling happened: AnShin started to cry.

Half an hour later, he and AnShin emerged into the garden and found Kaden standing next to Tivili. AnShin made his way to the girl and briefly placed a hand on her shoulder, then told her something in a low voice. She gave a brief response, bowed to the two Jedi and left for the house.

AnShin turned towards the Jedi and said something in his native language. "He will make arrangements to have a helicopter take you to the southern border regions as soon as your apprentice is healed," J-7LI translated.

Drex bowed. "Thank you," he said gravely.

Kaden mirrored this, but his gaze was on Tivili's retreating form. She hadn't said anything to him during their time on the bench. She had accepted the comfort he offered, though, and given him a nod in thanks before retreating. That had been strange and he hoped that Drex had gotten some answers, because he had nothing!

Ten minutes later, they were sitting on the back seat of the speeder that took them back to Mashen.

"That was… a strange visit," Drex said quietly. "I think I found out what is going on, though. At least roughly so. And now that I did, AnShin was keen to get rid of us."

"That," Kaden said, "is the understatement of the decade; that was so strange I don't know where to start. What happened, what did you find out?" he asked, eager to have his many questions answered. "I found out very little about the outcasts from Tivili. She did mention that they were looked down upon by 'civilised' society and that she doesn't want to become one, but I didn't get a chance to ask why. After AnShin came out, she wasn't allowed to say any more." He looked pensive for a moment as he tried to piece together the things he'd heard and formulate some sort of hypothesis. Nothing was forthcoming. His leg was beginning to ache a bit now although he was reluctant to ask for painkillers as they numbed his senses, which felt uncomfortable to a Force-sensitive and was avoided if at all possible.

"AnShin has the ability to use the Force for all kinds of purposes, just like you and me," Drex explained quietly. "His visions are exceptionally strong, but he discovered early on that he could move objects and manipulate others, too. He was not sure how this would be received by others, so he experimented with these abilities secretly, whereas he openly shared his visions. When he was ten, he inadvertently killed his younger brother. He was angry, and his brother choked to death. Nobody made the connection to AnShin, and even if he had told them, nobody would have believed him. But he knows that he did it, and he has been living with this guilt ever since. That is why he has always been adamant about not allowing anyone to use the Force in order to influence or manipulate anything, be they objects or living creatures. Seeing the past, present and future is permitted; affecting the present in any way, even by helping a plant grow, is not. I actually think he was relieved to finally have a chance to tell someone after all those years; but of course, I had to promise him to keep this between us, so you need to give me your word not to tell anyone, alright?"

"Of course. Who could I possibly tell even if I wanted to," Kaden replied in an uncharacteristic show of badly timed humour. It made perfect sense and explained AnShin's crazy behaviour. Still, something about this was bothering him. "Tivili is strong, and she's curious. She's also started experimenting and now that I taught her a little control, what if history repeats itself and Tivili accidentally kills someone?" Kaden dry washed his face with his hand. "I don't know. Perhaps if AnShin were honest and told them, or at least those he catches, the real reason he forbids it, they'd be less inclined to mess around with their abilities," he commented, his gaze locked on the scenery outside as they continued the hour-long journey back to Mashen and their guest quarters.

"Oh, I am not at all convinced the system works as well as AnShin wants us to believe," Drex replied quietly. "I have asked him about his threat to make Tivili an outcast. He was reluctant to talk about this, but he finally admitted that the Ha'en-Shin have a long-standing tradition of sending people who do not fit into their social system to the woods and mountains at the southern border region. This region is formally part of their territory, but they leave it alone; people who are sent there have to see how they get by on their own. The Ha'en-Shin have a strong vision of social harmony. Anyone who violates that harmony runs the risk of being sent away. And that, apparently, includes the occasional Force-sensitive person. AnShin's community constitutes the first attempt to offer them an alternative, but only to those who play by his rules. He has begrudgingly admitted that he has sent members of his community away before 'once or twice'. I told him that we would like to see the place where the outcasts live, and he agreed to make it possible - mainly, I think, because he half-regretted having told me his story, so this is a convenient way to get rid of us. But we will have to wait until your leg is healed, of course. Incidentally, how are you feeling?"

Kaden frowned at hearing AnShin's reason for exile, but he did not comment. He wasn't sure what to make of such a society. Then again, maybe it wasn't all that different from his own? He wasn't sure. "I'm fine," he replied automatically, only to rethink that and confess that his leg was indeed hurting him. Predictably, this resulted in pain killers and an early bed time, neither of which Kaden protested as both were necessary if he was going to recover any time soon.


	12. Chapter 12

The next week went much the same. They had avoided AnShin's community as it had been pretty clear that the man had wanted rid of them. Instead, they focussed their attention on other nearby parts of the country.

It was on their final trip to the hospital that Kaden started to feel like their mission was about to go somewhere; as nice as it was around here, he was bored and was looking forward to visiting the outcast region. He propped his leg up on the seat next to Drex. It had healed quite well over the past week thanks to the medications. "You know, I could pull it off myself and save us the trip," he commented as their transport pulled up at the hospital for what would be the final time, he hoped.

"Don't be silly," said Drex drily. "Come on." He helped Kaden out of the speeder.

Half an hour later, his apprentice was without a splint and asked to test his leg. "Careful," Drex told him. "Your muscles have weakened. Take it slowly."

A week ago, Kaden may very well have ignored the instruction to take it slowly. After the ass kicking he'd gotten for being frivolous with his safety, though, the boy wasn't yet willing to put a toe out of line. Thus, he did exactly as he was told. Tentatively, he placed his weight on the newly healed leg and took a step, then another. Drex was correct: even though it had only been a short time, his muscles felt weak. Still, he was able to walk properly and wasn't experiencing any pain. "It's okay. I probably couldn't run right now, but it won't take me long," he reported to both his master and the doctor assessing him, which J-7LI translated.

"Yes, we'll see about that," said Drex. "I have had experiences with such injuries; we will work on strengthening your muscles in the coming days. No running until I give you permission, please."

Fifteen minutes later, after some more instructions, they left the hospital. "We will be taken to the southern border region in a helicopter tomorrow morning," Drex told Kaden. "Let's have lunch somewhere in central Mashen. We hardly got to see the place. We can walk around for a while after lunch, have a workout later and pack."

"Alright," Kaden replied, not overly thrilled at the limitations, but nor did he mind all that much; Drex knew what he was doing.

A couple of hours later they had eaten lunch and were making their way through a somewhat busy shopping district in central Mashen. Kaden was taking it easy with his leg, but it really wasn't bothering him much. In fact, he was itching to get to their workout as he'd been stuck in that leg brace for far too long.

Their guide for today, Manishi, was none too happy with Drex's plans; Drex got the impression that their hosts would have much preferred them to stay at their comfortable quarters at the outskirts of the city because that way, they would not have attracted attention. As it was, people were discretely staring at them everywhere they went as if they were… well, aliens, which they in fact were. Drex could not see the stares, of course, but feel them. Obviously, most people were aware that off-worlders were visiting their country, but had never seen any of them face to face before. He had no clear idea why their guide had an issue with the Jedis' decision to expose themselves to the curious glances and stares; maybe it had to do with the general Ha'en-Shin tendency to avoid disquieting anyway by confronting them with things that were out of the ordinary? In any case, since they had not been forbidden from visiting the city centre, he intended to do just that, for as long as they liked.

Drex kept Kaden busy by asking him to tell him all about the shops they passed by and about the merchandise they offered. One place sold music on a strange type of disk; Drex decided to buy a number of disks and a device to play them. The shop owner told him that the covers contained booklets with explanations. Apparently, music was considered a serious, scholarly activity by the Ha'en-Shin. This suited Drex fine. He was going to ask J-7LI to translate the booklets for him.

While Drex was looking at the music, Kaden was in the gaming section. He couldn't read the writing but the picture on the front clued him in. Mostly, they were strategy games, non-violent and nothing at all like the sort available on Coruscant. He picked up one and turned it over in his hand. It would probably work in the player at their guest quarters but he wasn't sure they'd be there for much longer.

"Is there anything you're interested in, padawan?" Drex asked Kaden, sensing the boy's restlessness.

"No. Their games are so outdated I don't think they'll even play on my device," replied Kaden and put the game back on the shelf. "I'm keen to do that workout. I've been trapped in the splint for ages, after all," he told the man while taking his arm to help him out of the crowded shop.

"Alright, Padawan," Drex said, smiling at him. "Let's go back."

The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully: they had a long workout, packed their things, had dinner and took a walk to the lake.

The next morning, their meditation was interrupted by an awful noise. After a moment's confusion, Drex said: "That must be our helicopter. Have you ever seen one?" He thought it unlikely; it was technology that had been outdated for hundreds, if not thousands, of years on Coruscant.

"No. Never," replied Kaden, getting to his feet and trying to catch a glimpse of the thing through the window.

Given that they were both already dressed, Kade stopped by his room on the way out and picked up his gear. He then followed Drex outside where the strange contraption was waiting for them. He eyed it curiously. "It's got a cross propeller thing on top of the cockpit. You wouldn't think it would fly…" he told his master and nodded as their pilot came to greet them.

"Master Jedi," the pilot greeted, not speaking to Kaden. By now, the boy was used to this as it was considered impolite to speak to children without permission from their parent or guardian.

Drex bowed to the pilot in return. Two of the delegates who had greeted them at the time of their arrival approached.

"The helicopter will transfer you to the border of the civilized Ha'en-Shin state where outcasts are usually abandoned into their self-chosen exile," said Manishi, a middle-aged grey-striped female. "You will not be able to communicate with the Ha'en-Shin once you are there; all emissions are blocked. Once a week, a helicopter lands in order to provide the outcasts with their basic needs and to trade some of their products. You will need to wait for this helicopter in order to be able to return. We still strongly advise you not to undertake this journey; but if you insist, you need to leave now."

Drex smiled. "I thank you for your concern," he said solemnly. "And yes, we do insist. Thank you for your hospitality. I hope to meet you back here later." He beckoned Kaden and J-7LI over and led the way to the helicopter which was more than cramped; they would have to carry their bags on their knees.

The journey to the outcast region was going to be a bit of a long one. Apparently it took four hours to reach the southern area using this means of transport. Not for the first time, Kaden missed their speeders and shuttles. "If this thing flew any slower, we could get out and run faster," he told Drex. He didn't need to keep his voice down as they had headsets to communicate with their pilot that didn't engage unless you pushed and held a button on the side. It was bumpy, noisy and altogether slow!

Generally, this world was still rather backward with respect to planetary means of transport. For short and medium distances, the Ha'en-Shin had a type of speeder which used hovercraft technology and relied on roads. They also had long-distance speeders, but those needed starting and landing strips. Apparently, there were no roads to the border region and nobody had built a landing strip either in an obvious attempt to discourage contact. Thus, the helicopter was the only way.

Finally, after what seemed like an endless and (to Drex) torturously noisy flight, the helicopter touched down on a grassy hill at the fringe of a forest and the rotor stilled. There was a moment's silence; then, a group of beings emerged from the woods. Unlike the Ha'en-Shin they had met so far, they were entirely naked except for their fur.

The pilot threw open the door and beckoned for Drex and Kaden to get out. He seemed eager to make a getaway.

Drex took his bag and climbed out cautiously. At his sight, the approaching group collectively screamed and ran away.

"Well, that went well," said Drex drily when Kaden jumped out beside him. "Come on, let's move away a little so the pilot can take off. He's eager to leave. And then, let's sit down for a while and wait. Maybe that way, these people will realise we are harmless and curiosity will win out."

Kaden suppressed a groan. It was bad enough that they didn't speak the language. In hindsight he should have anticipated that reaction – they were aliens after all – but he hadn't. "Yeah, fantastic," he commented dryly as the last of the group scurried away, leaving the two Jedi standing in the middle of what quite possibly could be nowhere. "Okay. So, what if they don't get curious and don't come back, should we go find them and hope their village doesn't decide we're edible?" He was half joking, but there was a hint of caution to his tone. He sat down next to Drex, put his elbows on his knees and huffed. At least his leg wasn't busted up anymore. That was one thing.

"Patience, padawan," said Drex calmly as J-7LI came to stand beside them.

The boy sighed. If he never heard that word again it would be too soon.

Neither of them bothered trying to speak for a while, because at this point the helicopter took off and the noise was infernal. Kaden felt sorry for his blind master as he knew the man's other senses were heightened and this would be downright deafening to him.

When the noise had died down and the helicopter was nothing more than a speck in the sky, Drex said: "Presumably, these people are not entirely without contact to the Ha'en-Shin or other societies. Some are only sent here as adults; they have an education and technical knowledge. It is fairly likely that someone has heard of the Ha'en-Shin's contacts with the Republic or even of our arrival. Moreover, I could sense fear, but no hostility or aggression in the people who fled. I think we should simply wait for them to sort things out and approach us. At least, the sun is shining. So far, we have no reason to rush things."

Kaden mulled over what Drex had told him. He agreed that he did not sense hostility, at least, not yet… "I'm not keen on just sitting here. Can't we look around or something?" he asked, but did not get up.

"Padawan, they're watching us," said Drex patiently. "They're trying to find out whether we're a threat. By just sitting here and signalling that we're ready to meet them, but not trying to enforce a contact, we project to them that we're not a threat. While we are waiting, tell me all about our surroundings."

Apparently, they were sitting on the slope of a grassy hillock; the landing pad, a rather derelict patch of concrete, was on top. The hills must have been cleared of trees long ago to create a broad strip of grassy land, at least twenty miles wide. There was a guarded fence at the Ha'en-Shin end of that stretch of land. There were also signs of frequent fires, presumably to keep the area clear. About fifty meters from where they were sitting, the woods started to stretch out endlessly, reaching up to the mountains on the horizon. A few thin columns of smoke indicated human activity, possibly cooking, but there might as well be smithies or even factories – they had no way of knowing. The weather was too warm to require heating, in any case.

Drex could sense activity in the woods. There was a gathering nearby from which people were coming and leaving. He also sensed something through the Force; not a disturbance, but a slight vibration that indicated at least one Force-sensitive person was active in some way. It wasn't much, though, most likely no more than an attempt to assess his and Kaden's intentions.

Finally, after about twenty minutes, a small group of beings emerged from the woods and approached cautiously. Drex could sense that the group comprised an elderly male and a middle-aged female, both of whom felt very strong and assertive, probably some kind of leaders. Then there was a rather old person whose sex, curiously, was unclear; maybe the Ha'en-Shin, like most species that had two sexes, sometimes produced transgender individuals and made those outcasts? Then, there were two young and strong males who, interestingly, were carrying some kind of weapon. He asked Kaden about that and Kaden told him they looked like blasters. According to the Ha'en-Shin, the outcasts were not supposed to have weapons, at least not industrially produced weapons, so either they were smuggling, or they had some kind of industrial production, or they traded with others than the Ha'en-Shin.

The most interesting member of the group was a young woman who was clearly very strong in the Force. It was her who had been probing them through the Force, and she continued to do so. Drex gently and deliberately lowered his shields, openly showing her his Force signature. She performed the mental equivalent of shrinking back in surprise, but calmed down immediately, clearly sensing that he posed no threat. She also seemed to tell the others as much.

Kaden sensed when Drex lowered his shields and gave him a curious sideways glance. Otherwise, he remained silent and waited for instructions. Both Jedi continued to stay where they were as the group approached. Kaden did his best to quietly pass on as much detail about the outcasts' physical appearance as he could without spooking them, mainly noting that they seemed to all carry the same marking. He went on to describe this marking as a circle about the size of a fist with a cross struck through the middle. Upon closer inspection he noticed that no hair grew on the mark which told him that it was, in fact, a brand. A scar like that could only be made with something very hot, he knew. The weapons looked as if they were home-made to him and he wasn't sure if they were just for show or actually functioned. Perhaps they would find out if they got to know these people better.

Frustrated with all the waiting and pussy-footing around, Kaden got to his feet, greeted the two leaders in their native language, then bowed. He had picked up a few phrases that did not need to be translated by J-7LI. Surprise, surprise! Neither leader deemed to speak to Kaden! This momentarily grated. Then again, he had gotten used to this over the week and simply sucked it up. Instead, they continued to inch forward towards the two aliens, their gazes flitting from one Jedi to the other. "He's blind," Kaden told them through J-7LI. He hoped that this would make Drex revered here also, as they could use an advantage. Kaden was trying to project the small feeling of guilt at having taken matters into his own hands; the boy knew he was meant to follow his master's led. This time it seemed to have paid off.

Drex did not agree with that assessment. He was distinctly unhappy with Kaden's rash behavior. It could create considerable confusion as to their respective roles. He rose slowly and unhurriedly as the two leaders approached and bowed slightly in greeting. Using the same Ha'en-Shin phrase of greeting that Kaden had used, he then turned towards the young, Force-sensitive woman.

"You have been made an outcast because you have special abilities, haven't you?" he said gently, and J-7LI translated.

She shrank back a little, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She said something that J-7LI translated as "And what would you know about it?"

"My apprentice and I," said Drex, putting his hand on Kaden's shoulder, "have the same abilities. Only where we come from, they are considered a talent; a skill to be developed. We have an institution where children with this skill are trained from a young age and learn to use their potential for good. We are currently exploring your world in order to find out more about the way in which people with these skills are treated in various countries; they might have something to teach us, or alternatively, we might be able to help by offering to train gifted children on our home world. When we stayed with the Ha'en-Shin, we found out that they sentence children who cannot suppress their abilities to become outcasts. That is why we came here. We want to meet you, and others like you, and learn about you."

The outcasts all listened with rapt attention. "You mean... on your world, I would not have been made an outcast?" the young woman asked, quite shocked.

"No," said Drex. "On our world, or rather, on all worlds that belong to our Republic, you would have received an offer to be trained at a very early age. That would have required you to leave your family, but you would not be shunned by others; on the contrary, you would be held in esteem."

The young woman was strong in the Force, stronger than most in AnShin's small community; it was a small wonder that she had not managed to contain her skills.

She looked at Drex and Kaden for a moment indecisively. Then she started talking to the leaders of the group.

"She tells them that she wants to hear more," J-7LI translated. "She is sure that you pose no threat and mean no harm. She asks them to take you to their settlement as guests. The man now asks her how she knows you are not spies. She says she is certain. Besides, she says, they don't have to show you everything. The old being says... he... or she is not sure whether this is a good idea. The young woman says she knows how important it would be for her and the others to learn."

The female leader cut the debate short by raising a hand. She said something that everybody seemed to accept instantly.

"You may join them in their town," J-7LI said. "You will be their guests. However, your freedom of movement will be restricted until they are sure of your intentions. The two young men will act as your guards. You will also surrender your weapons. Do you agree to these rules?"

Drex considered this for a moment. Then he detached his lightsaber from his belt and held it out to the young Force-sensitive woman. "These are the only weapons we possess," he said. "They are of no use to anyone but us. As a token of goodwill, we will surrender them to you; but only if you promise that you will feel personally responsible for them and that you will not abandon them nor give them to anyone else. And we will want to have them returned to us after twenty-four hours. These weapons are a part of us, and they are important to us." It was a bold move, he knew; but what he sensed from the young woman inspired him to trust her. She felt sincere, kind-hearted and responsible to him. Besides, it was not as if he could not think of numerous ways to retrieve their weapons in cases of emergency.

Despite wanting to do just the opposite, Kaden remained silent as J-7LI translated the conversation for them; he had sensed across their bond the mild irritation his behaviour had caused in Drex and was now making more of an effort to be patient and wait. However, when Drex nudged him, indicating that he should hand over his saber as well, the boy balked. "Are you sure about this?" he questioned the man both with his expression and across their bond, even as his hand went to the hilt of his weapon and detached it. Kaden wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do. The outcasts were armed, after all. Then again, even so he was pretty sure he and Drex could take them on, should they decide to suddenly become hostile. All this and more went through his mind, dragging his hesitation out.

This time, there was nothing mild about the disapproval that Drex projected across their bond. "Now," he said in a low voice that had a distinct edge about it. It was a tone of voice that clearly told Kaden he was treading on thin ice.

The boy did not flinch, at least not outwardly, because outwardly he was too busy surrendering his lightsaber as instructed. He knew better than to question his master's instructions but his weapon had been a matter of constant contention between himself and Drex. He watched on, a sour expression on his face as the female leader took his lightsaber, passing Drex's to the Force sensitive woman whose name J-7LI had translated as Amare.

"Ka'chatan," Amare exclaimed, almost dropping Drex's saber.

"She states that the weapon is very powerful," J-7LI translated.

A few moments later, she was handed Kaden's. Her reaction to his weapon was not as animated. She told the outcasts that there was something about these weapons that made them special, and J-7LI translated as much to both Jedi.

It was on the tip of Kaden's tongue to ask if they could have them back, but before he could open his mouth to do so, Drex closed it again by sending his thoughts on that course of action across their bond. They corresponded to the look on his face. "Fine," Kade retorted across their bond. He said nothing else but simply crossed his arms and waited for more instructions.

One of the young guards nudged the other one and said something. They both laughed.

"They said," J-7LI translated solemnly, " that your apprentice seems to be sulking. They seem to find that funny."

Sulking? He wasn't sulking! … Force, he was sulking. Cowed, Kaden blushed but said nothing more.

Drex did not find it all that funny, but he was going to talk to Kaden about that later. Right now, they were being led towards the forest. Between the trees, there were a few wooden houses. The male leader, Tershin, explained to them while they walked that this was just an outpost, staffed with a few guards who were exchanged regularly. Their job was to wait for new arrivals and to handle the weekly helicopter contacts. Amare and the two young men were going to escort the two Jedi to the city and send replacement guards back here.

"You have an actual city?" Drex asked in surprise.

The woman, whose name was Hae-Na-Koole, laughed. "The Ha'en-Shin take us for savages," she said. "But they have been sending their outcasts to this region for hundreds of years. We have build up something here. We have a city, we have cleared some land for farming, we trade with other countries. Even with countries that the Ha'en-Shin consider their enemies."

"If this system has been in existence for centuries," Drex said, "surely many of you must be descendants of former generations of outcasts?"

At this, the group fell silent. Finally Amare said something, very softly.

"She says they sterilize everyone they send here," J-7LI translated.

Even Drex took a second to digest this. "I'm very sorry to hear that," he finally said.

"Well, on the other hand," Hae-Na-Koole said a little bitterly, "they have no qualms about sending us children, even babies, when they don't fit in. Those of us who are interested in parenthood usually get to raise at least one child. Still, we would obviously much prefer to be allowed to have our own children."

At this point, they had arrived at a small clearing between the huts. There were a few motor vehicles, but also carts and carriages. A couple of young men were currently readying a carriage that was drawn by a couple of stocky animals somewhat resembling oxen.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," said Tershin, "but we are always short on power cells and only use motorized vehicles when we really need to. If you could oblige us by taking the carriage, we would be grateful. It will be a ride of about one and a half hours that way."

"That will be no trouble at all," replied Drex.

Five minutes later, Amare, Drex and Kaden were sitting in the back of the carriage, the canopy having been folded back to let in some light and fresh air. Their two guards were sitting on the front seat, steering, although the animals seemed to know their way well enough. The track they were following was broad and clear of trees and rocks, but not tarmacked.

Kaden had remained quiet as he piled into the … the… What the hell was that anyway? Sure, he had seen such transports pulled by bantha and other domesticated animals on off-world planets before, but he hadn't seen anything that looked exactly like this.

The carriage was a little cramped with the addition of J-7LI, but not uncomfortably so. He looked at Amare. It was clear to him that this being was very strong in the Force and he wondered for the first time in his young life how his own destiny could have been so different had he not been born in the republic. A hand went reflexively to the place where his lightsaber usually hung, and retracted at finding nothing there. Why they had to give up their weapon, he did not know but he felt empty without it, not that he wanted to telegraph this across their bond. Drex had told him many times before that there was a lot more to being a Jedi than his lightsaber. He understood that, too. It was just hard for him at times, and this mission was testing him.

He wasn't sure how long they had been traveling when he decided to break the silence. "Do you think they'll have anything edible, and if they do, do you think they'll give us any? Because I'm starving," Kaden whispered to Drex. He was always hungry so this was probably not going to come as a surprise to the man.

Drex raised his hand to J-7LI to stop her from translating. "I'm sure they have food that's edible for us," he replied quietly. "We'll see whether they offer us some after our arrival. If not, we can ask for it. For now, I can give you some energy bars. Do you still have water?" He had told Kaden to fill his flask before they had left, but that had, of course, been several hours ago.

"I do, but not much," Kaden answered, giving his flask a shake just to be sure that there was some left; after all, he had not exactly been conservative given that they were on such a blue, green planet. The energy bars would take the edge off his hunger and he accepted them gratefully.

"Not long now," Drex said softly. He could not see their surroundings, of course, but he sensed that things were changing. They were meeting the occasional rider and pedestrian now. The woods were less dense now and there were patches of land that had been cleared entirely. When asked, J-7LI told him that tracks were branching off the road and that they were coming past fields and gardens. It was clear that they were approaching the city. Drex was very interested in discovering what surprises it held for them.


	13. Chapter 13

The closer they got to the city the more crowded their path became. The outer suburbs they were passing through were dotted with homes of all shapes and sizes. At first, they were mostly built of wood or bricks but the closer they came to the city centre, the more often duracrete or even metal was involved. There was the occasional distribution outlet that popped up now, and people could be seen walking and riding throughout the streets and parks with essentials stacked into baskets or packs. Amare took them down a paved road that narrowed slightly. Just as it split into two lanes, he veered left and into what Kaden described to Drex as being their city. It was well-populated, busy and there were far less homes and more workshop-type buildings. They traveled towards the heart of the city for another ten minutes before Amare finally stopped their carriage. Kaden stepped out of their 'transport', slung his pack over his shoulder and took a look around both visually and through the Force. He sensed no danger but he still deferred to his master, waiting for the man's reaction before moving.

The place was full of people of all ages, although the proportion of children was lower than one would have expected in a natural, healthy society. On the other hand, the proportion of disabled people, both physically and mentally, was higher, which must be an additional burden to bear for this community. Obviously, the Ha'en-Shin had advanced beyond the other nations on this planet at the cost of the weakest in society: all those who were considered misfits, unruly and hard to handle – with the exception of blind people who were for some reason held in esteem. Drex estimated that there must be tens of thousands of people in this place and its surroundings.

He had been prepared to be met with the same kind of fright and shock they had elicited in the outcasts when stepping out of the helicopter. However, it turned out that their reception committee had taken precautions. They had sent out a rider who had made the trip faster than them and who had forewarned the city folk. As a result, no one ran away screaming. On the contrary, everyone seemed curious, but they still kept a polite – or maybe cautious – distance.

Amare took them to a central square and into a stone building that held a kind of assembly room. Even from quite a distance, Drex could tell that it also held a large number of people who were Force-sensitive; at least a dozen of them.

"Welcome," said an old man who had stepped forward in greeting. "We are glad to meet you. Please be our guests. You must be hungry and thirsty after your journey. We have prepared a meal for you. It is probably not what you are used to, but it is the best we could put together at such short notice."

Drex could tell that he was sincere. "Thank you," he said with a bow. "We are very grateful for your hospitality. Please allow my apprentice to check the food to see whether all of it is edible to us." He was more worried about Kaden than about himself; human stomachs were more sensitive than Hrakian ones. Thus, he produced the scanner from his bag and handed it to Kaden, inviting him to check what seemed to be some kind of buffet-style meal.

Kaden didn't care if it was edible or not, the boy was always hungry! When Drex produced the scanner, he took it and carried out the scan quickly. As it turned out, there were several types of food he could eat and several that would give him cramps. He needed to avoid the latter, of course.

A short time later, he was sitting on what he considered to be an uncomfortable chair (the large gap for their hosts' tails was just in the wrong spot for his height) and making a hole in what was a huge plate of food. His choice mainly consisted of some mashed meat and bean mixture that was spicy, but not overly so, and vegetables. The boy would eat absolutely anything which was evident from the speed at which he devoured his meal. He glanced at his master's much smaller plate of food and wondered, not for the first time, how he managed to eat so little and feel full. His thoughts soon turned to their surroundings and he wondered where they were going to sleep that night. "Will we stay with a family while we are here?" he asked, looking first at Drex and then at Amare, as J-7LI translated.

It seemed their hosts were still discussing this. Finally, Amare informed them, via J-7LI, that they were to be given one of the furnished apartments in the city centre that were kept empty for newcomers. After all, new outcasts might show up at any given time. Once those had adapted to their new environment and possibly found others whom they wanted to live with, they usually moved into one of the larger houses in the suburbs. "It's a big building with about eight apartments, some of which are always empty. Your guards can have the one next door," she explained. "Hopefully, by tomorrow afternoon, you may have your weapons back and won't need guards any longer. But it is so unusual for us to have visitors that Hae-Na-Koole thought it better to take precautions."

They talked for about an hour; mostly, it was the outcasts asking questions about the Jedi, their mission and their background, and Drex answering them with J-7LI's help. Finally, the others agreed that their guests deserved some rest and that they should reconvene tomorrow.

Amare volunteered to take them to their apartment. "I'll also show you where to get food," she said as they walked down a broad, cobbled street.

From her explanations, Drex gathered that food was brought to a few central markets from where everybody could get what they needed. "And this works?" Drex asked in surprise. "Nobody will try to enrich himself at others' cost?"

"No," said Amare. "We all depend on each other. We have a strong sense of solidarity."

"Are no criminals sent to live with you?" Drex asked.

It turned out that this was a difficult question to translate. J-7LI talked to Amare for quite some time before being able to convey an answer to Drex. Apparently, the Ha'en-Shin had no equivalent for the word "criminal"; rather, they had various types of miscreants who were treated in different ways. Murderers, arsonists and rapists, Amare told them, were executed. People who had severely violated others were treated according to a complex law of retribution that meant they were to suffer a similar injury. Thieves and robbers were sentenced to forced labor. Those who were made outcasts were often people who rebelled against the system and its rules or who suffered from a mental or physiological disability, but not those who had been found guilty of any of the major types of crime.

By the time they had sorted this out, they had arrived at the brick building that held their small apartment. It was on the second floor, had a living room with a kitchenette, a small refresher and a sleeping room with two mats and a few shelves. It was not pretty or particularly well-equipped, but it was clean, airy, and functional. Drex thanked Amare sincerely. They dropped off their bags and went to the nearest market to gather provisions.

Despite not having done anything physically taxing, Kaden was tired and his leg was beginning to feel the strain, not that he was willing to admit as much. "This place is pretty spread out," he commented through a yawn. He'd taken his masters arm and was currently guiding them through long aisles in an open-air market.

They spent some time looking around. They scanned different foods and observed their surroundings and the beings wandering about, both visually and through the Force. Most Ha'en-Shin seemed curious upon seeing them. Some were wary and gave them a wide berth, but none fled screaming or felt outright hostile, at least not to Kaden. He could, of course, feel as well as see that most eyes were on them, so he continued to maintain what he considered a welcoming expression on his face as they passed by.

Drex noticed Kaden's fatigue and discretely informed Amare that his apprentice had recently been injured and needed regular intervals of rest. The woman nodded and led them to a nearby the park.

Drex, Amare and Kaden sat down on a bench that overlooked the park, content to watch, or in Drex's case, sense the beings around them. Their two guards soon joined a ball game, clearly enjoying themselves. There was also a team event of some kind going on, not that Kaden could recognise the game. Their droid had no idea either. It seemed similar to a game they played in crèche called 'Rob the nest' and he explained as much to Drex.

"You seem to live a pretty good life," Drex told Amare. "The Ha'en-Shin we have met so far seemed terrified of the idea of being made outcasts. I wonder what they think your life is like."

"They imagine us to be savages, of course," Amare replied, by way of J-7LI. "But what they are most terrified of is the loss of their families, social ties and, above all, the rules and structures. Rules are terribly important to them, and they are afraid of people who break them. They certainly live a more sheltered and comfortable life than we do here. For example, our capacity to deal with serious illness or injuries are limited. We do have pretty good doctors, but our supplies of medication, our equipment for complex surgeries and so on are limited, despite our attempts to buy these things from outside. Besides, we are always dependent on chance - whether the people who are sent to us are farmers, doctors, teachers, carpenters, children, old or disabled people. Materially, our life is not bad, but by far not as good as the one the Ha'en-Shin live. But we are free - free to live the life we want. Our community does expect its members to make themselves useful, but they are free to choose the way in which they do so. Here, I am not shunned for lighting a fire without a match – something that my family expelled me for when I was barely six years old."

A group of three youngsters had been eyeing Kaden curiously. They were playing a card game, and one of them finally found the courage to walk over and ask Kaden whether he wanted to play.

"Go if you like," Drex told Kaden when the boy looked at him for permission. "You may take J-7LI for long enough to have them explain the rules."

"Alright," Kaden replied and stood to introduce himself. This would be a good opportunity to learn the game they were playing. It was called "Liar" or at least that was the translation from J-7LI, and apparently it was all about bluffing. Of course, being a Jedi, Kaden had an unfair advantage here, but he did not use it, nor did he tell them he could. They played for a good half hour before two of the boys were called off by their parents, leaving Kade with Kin'sh, the taller, lightly-furred boy who had invited him.

When Drex called Kaden back after another few minutes by way of J-7LI, Kin'sh stood and gathered his cards. "We come here every day around this time to play. You're welcome to come back tomorrow if you'd like to," translated J7LI on the boy's behalf.

"Sure, why not. Thanks for the game," Kaden replied. He'd have to ask Drex, of course, but whether or not he showed up again was neither here nor there to him.

On their way back, Amare showed them where she lived. She still shared a house with her adoptive parents, an elderly couple. The outcasts tried to take care of their old by placing children in their care when they were still strong enough to raise them, so that the children, once they were grown up, could take care of their "parents". This system worked fairly well, Amare said. Nevertheless, they also had a facility where disabled, old or sick people who did not have an adoptive family were taken care of. Amare had taken a liking to physical work which, coming from an upper-class urban Ha'en-Shin family, she would not have been allowed to do had she not been made an outcast. She was learning to be a carpenter, she told Drex and Kaden. She also served at the frontier at regular intervals like all physically fit persons.

Finally, she had dropped Drex and Kaden off at their apartment, promising to pick them up tomorrow morning for more extensive talks with the Force-sensitive community here, as well as a person she called "the historian".

"I know you're tired," Drex told Kaden, "but I need your help making dinner. I don't know the layout of the kitchen or how any of the appliances work, and without your help, it will take ages to produce something from what we bought."

"Am not," Kaden shot back before he could stop himself, although the smile on his face and across their bond told Drex that he was just as amused by his response as he probably was. "Kin'sh, the boy from the park, invited me back to join their game again tomorrow," he mentioned while pulling things from the cupboards. "That okay?"

Drex nodded. "Sure, why not," he said. "It depends on our hosts' plans, of course. If we still have our guards by this time tomorrow and they don't want us to split up, we will have to see. But I somehow don't think that's going to be the case. I have a good feeling about this."

Dinner was interesting to make. Kaden didn't know how to work any of the appliances either, but thankfully most of them had instructions which J-7LI was able to read to them. They ended up producing quite a nice meal of vegetable curry with some boiled and spiced local grain they'd picked up and were told was their world's version of rice. It was quite nice, actually. Kaden went back for seconds and was still going when Drex had well and truly finished. When he'd finally eaten his fill, he helped with the dishes.

Drex took this opportunity to bring up one unpleasant subject that he had had no opportunity to discuss before, at least not in private. "Padawan, what possessed you to stand up and greet the outcast delegation without my leave this morning?" he inquired. "Do you consider yourself some kind of mission leader? That would at least explain why you nearly refused to hand over your lightsaber when I told you to, which is another thing I'm not at all happy about."

"Mission leader? No," Kaden replied, trying not to sound guilty but not sure if he pulled it off. Unconsciously, he turned his ass towards the bench while he dried a dish. "I didn't trust them, and I don't like being without my saber. I hate it," came the honest reply. At the time, he'd known his master wasn't happy with him, but with all that had happened since, he had forgotten about it. Apparently, Drex had not.

Drex was not particularly impressed with his padawan's reaction. "You might consider trusting your master, though," he said evenly. "Moreover, you know perfectly well that I expect you to follow my orders and my lead. Whether you like or dislike your orders is irrelevant. You are not three years old, after all. Which is why you would do well not to embarrass us in front of others by childish sulking."

Kade might not be three years old, but Drex was making sure he felt like it at the moment. The boy's brow furrowed slightly. "Fine," he said a little hotly, putting the final dish into the rack. Again, he knew that wasn't exactly the response he should be giving. After all, he'd known that what he did wasn't acceptable. Drex was just rubbing salt into the wound here.

"That was not the response I was looking for," Drex said without heat. He grabbed Kaden by the scruff of his neck and bent him over the countertop. Then he applied a scorching swat to his padawan's backside, internally counted till five and applied a second swat, without saying a word. If Kaden was unable to figure out what kind of response was expected of him, he had better take a steep learning curve.

If the expression on the man's face didn't tip him off, the fashion in which he was bent over the countertop clued Kaden in. He tightened up his backside, gripped the edge of the counter with a hand and squinted his eyes closed tightly, but as was typical, the pain that followed those two swats had his complete attention. He hissed. It fucking hurt, and just as the pain from that one started to really bite, another landed and he let out a grunt of pain. "Yes, Master. I'm sorry," he corrected himself. He was hoping the contrition, although late in coming, would save his ass; Drex had one hell of a swing and it wouldn't take many more like that to make sitting for the next few hours uncomfortable.

"Good," said Drex firmly, without releasing the hold that his left hand had on Kaden's neck. "What will you do differently the next time?"

Kaden let out a huff, his breath fogging up the shine on the countertop. He hated being pinned like this. It was downright unmanly – not that he was overly concerned about that right now as he was hell bent on coming up with the right answer and saving his ass from what was sure to be another spectacular wallop. "I'll be patient." The words grated on him but he managed to get it out without sounding sullen. "I'll wait, I'll follow your lead and I will obey when you give me instructions," he added. Despite what he considered an acceptable response, he was still trying to angle his ass away from Drex.

"And," said Drex sternly, "you will not sulk. All of your actions this morning could have caused problems, and they were entirely avoidable."

He released his hold on Kaden, allowing him to get up.

"Do something like this again," he said, "and you can fetch my hairbrush at the next opportunity. Am I clear on that?"

"Yes, Master," Kaden replied as he stood. He turned to face the man, rubbed his ass and did his darnedest to keep the sulking expression off his face. His ass burned. In fact, he could still feel the outline of Drex's palm perfectly, but it wasn't going to last that long. It just hurt now because, well, he'd just acquired it. Determined not to sulk, or at the very least not to show that he did, he dropped a hand to his side and swiped at his nose with the other. He was trying not to show his discomfort here, but… "You broke my ass… You know, you're gonna wear out your hand if you keep doing that to me," he commented to break the silence. He wasn't serious, at least not entirely…

"Oh, my hands are used to the wear and tear," Drex replied with a smile. He had gotten his point across and was thus perfectly willing to reciprocate Kaden's attempt at humor. The matter was closed, as far as he was concerned. "Let's perform our evening meditation and then turn in," he said. "It's been a very long day."

The boy inclined his head. He wasn't particularly keen on sitting but neither did he think that by complaining about it would be doing himself any favours. Resigned, he went to help Drex roll out their sleeping mats and knelt, wincing slightly as his ass rested on his heels.

During that meditation, he focused on patience and releasing his frustration into the Force. He also spent some time working on his emotions since keeping a lid on his temper had always been an issue for Kaden.

An hour later, he was in bed staring at the ceiling. He could hear Drex moving around in the common room area for a while, and then there was silence. He assumed the man had gone to bed himself. Unable to sleep, and disinclined to wake his sleeping master to ask for help, Kaden stood from his mat and slid open the window. It was mild outside, so he didn't bother with a shirt and climbed out onto the window sill, content to dangle his feet over the edge; the night air was fresh and the stars twinkled brightly in the distance. Their apartment was on the second floor which meant that from here he also had a good view of the street below, not that there were many beings around at this time of night. This was more entertaining than lying in bed.

"Hey, you!" yelled a middle-aged woman who had spotted Kaden's feet dangling. "Get back inside, kid! You're going to fall to your death!" Of course she yelled all this in Ha'en-Shin.

Kade looked down at the woman with a mildly curious expression on his face, and although he couldn't understand her words, he could guess at her reason; most beings here were probably not accustomed to the concept of Jedi.

The woman's yelling was loud enough to rouse Drex who, contrary to his padawan's assumptions, had not been asleep, but had been listening to Ha'en-Shin music on his headphones. He had noticed Kaden moving around on some level, but had not paid much attention to it, assuming that maybe the boy had been fetching himself a glass of water.

Drex put down his headphones and went to investigate. "Come back in, padawan," he said mildly. "It seems as if you are giving someone a fright."

When Kade felt the man's presence behind him, he swung his legs back in and stood. "I was just bored. Why is everyone on my case at the moment?" It was more accusation than question, but it was how he was feeling.

Drex was a little surprised at this accusation, but not much; he'd been through a lot of similar scenes with Taishin.

"If you honestly feel that way," he said calmly, "then you haven't done nearly enough meditation. Go and do some more. I'm not going to talk to you while you are in such a belligerent mood."

"Belligerent!?" Kaden repeated. His hands went to his hips and he frowned up at his master who – in his opinion – was being utterly unreasonable. He was about to retort with something along the lines of: 'well it's true' when Drex made a slight change to his stance and he decided against it; if he argued, he was probably going to get his ass handed to him. Unwilling to take the man on, Kaden dropped his confrontational stance, and with it the attitude. "Fine," he settled on, and quietly made his way towards his sleeping mat where he sat and began to meditate. He had become less volatile since first becoming a padawan, but there were still times at which he would lose his temper or lash out when it probably wasn't called for. Right now, he felt like everyone was constantly on his back about something. Hell, even the people in the street were on his case now!

The first part of his meditation was spend flitting between doing as he was told and brooding.

Drex let him be for a while. Then, when he felt that – despite the brooding – Kaden had gained a hold on his temper, he sat down opposite him and linked with him. He showed him the extent of his affection through their bond, his dedication and his pride in Kaden's progress. Every padawan needed to know that these things were a constant in their lives, even when they had acted up and were in trouble.

When Kade felt Drex's presence, he pulled himself together and seriously started releasing his frustrations into the Force. That helped, as did being reminded that his master cared and was committed to his training. Kaden loved to meditate with Drex so when he was roused he had a slight smile on his face.

"I had thought you were going to go to bed." Drex said with a hint of humour in his voice.

"I was," Kade confirmed. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd get some air. I didn't expect anyone to notice me, not that I was actively trying to conceal myself or anything," the boy explained. He wasn't particularly keen to discuss why he felt the universe was against him lately. He picked at a loose bit of fiber on his mat absentmindedly and then glanced up. "Would you help me sleep, please?" It wasn't a request he made often, but considering the way his last attempt had gone, he thought it was warranted. Besides, they had things to do tomorrow and he needed his sleep.

"Sure," Drex said gently. When Kaden had fallen asleep, he went to bed himself and quickly fell asleep as well.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, they had a breakfast of something similar to bread and something similar to cheese. The bread was good, but the whitish stuff was rather bland. "It's probably meant to be eaten with something else that we didn't know to buy," Drex remarked wrily. "But at least we won't go hungry. Besides, we still have some fruit."

Amare showed up just after they had finished washing the dishes and took them to the same assembly room as last night where a bunch of Force-sensitive Ha'en-Shin outcasts were already waiting. They were eager to learn more about the Jedi's concept of the Force and about the Temple, and especially about the way they trained the young.

"Why don't you answer that one?" Drex asked Kaden. "Tell them about the way in which you were raised, the things you learn and your way of life."

"Me?" Kade's head swivelled in the direction of Drex's face. Apparently so… He looked back at the expectant expressions of the Ha'en-Shin and stood. Talking wasn't something he was big on. He wasn't sure where to start so he did what anyone would do and started at the beginning. "I was brought to the Temple as an infant. From there, I was trained to use the Force – the powers that make you outcasts," he elaborated, "to serve the Republic and maintain peace." It was a recited speech, but one he happened to agree with. Mostly. There were still parts of a Jedi's life, such as conquering his temper and pride, that he didn't have down pat just yet. Kaden cleared his throat and was about to sit down when questions started coming so fast that J-7LI had trouble translating them all.

Drex smiled. He had suspected the outcasts would want more than the standard speech.

"They want to know in what ways, exactly, you learn to use the Force," J7LI told Kaden. "And whether there are things that you could use it for, but are not allowed to, like with AnShin's community. And whether you ever get to see your parents, and whether they would want to meet someone like you. The woman in the back wanted to know whether you go to school and whether you are allowed to mix with ordinary children. Then someone asked whether you also learn an ordinary profession or whether using the Force is a full-time occupation, and if the latter is the case, who pays you for it."

"Just answer as many of these as you can," Drex said, grinning. "I'll fill in the blanks."

Kaden gave Drex a dirty look but that was the extent of his protests. Those were a lot of questions. Kaden scratched his head, wishing he were anywhere but here. Right. One at a time, he told himself and took a moment to think.

"We are taught to use the Force very young, so young that I can't remember ever not knowing. They teach us by linking with us and by example. Yeah, there are some things we aren't allowed to do, like use the Force for personal gain or evil purposes. There's also some things we don't learn until we are much older in order to protect us from hurting ourselves or other people, like –" he coughed, feeling a pang of guilt wash over him – "Force-enhanced running, and building our first real lightsaber. Those are skills that we have to wait to learn and typically aren't trained in until taken as an apprentice. I'm still waiting," he told them, frowning slightly at his master as he did so; he felt safe enough here to throw that in, although he might not have, had they been alone in their apartment. He told them about the Jedi Order, how using the Force was indeed a full-time occupation, and that the Temple was supported by the Republic, to serve the republic. "We do mix with other children but we are schooled at the Temple. There we are taught all the usual things plus subjects relevant to becoming a Jedi; there are a lot of political classes on diplomacy and classes on using the Force to help heal." He glanced back over at Drex, wondering if he had managed to do a good enough job with that or if he should continue.

"We would be very interested to learn from you how you are teaching children with this special skill," Drex supplemented. "We are conducting talks with the Ha'en-Shin about the possibility to train children at the Temple. That would mean their children would learn to use their skills for good at an early age. It would also mean that these particular children would no longer be made outcasts, and thus not join your community. We would like to know how you feel about this and whether you think that you have a better future to offer to these children."

"Why don't you show us what you can do when you use the Force?" Amare proposed eagerly. "And what you do with those light-sabers of yours? They feel powerful to me."

"They are," Drex said. "Alright, we can demonstrate."

He reached out with his senses and decided that there was enough space in the assembly hall for a demonstration, save for the low table they were seated around. The table held bowls of nuts and jugs of water. Concentrating, Drex levitated the table from the ground until it was hovering over their heads. Ignoring the awed, and possibly shocked, sounds the Ha'en-Shin were making, he levitated the table towards a corner of the hall and set it down gently without spilling a drop of water from any of the jugs.

"This is one of the things the Force can be used for," he said calmly. "If you could make room for us and give us our sabers, my apprentice and I could show you how they can be used for defensive purposes."

"Soresu only," he added in an undertone, meant only for Kaden's ears.

Thanks to what felt like an eternity with his leg trapped in a splint, Kaden had not sparred in ages and so he jumped at the opportunity. Literally. His face fell at hearing Drex's reminder that it was to be 'Soresu only' but he didn't let on, at least not to anyone watching. To them, he appeared to be the very picture of Jedi serenity as he got to his feet and moved to stand where Drex bade.

Force, did it feel good to have his lightsaber back! He was practically bursting on the inside, but he knew that being overly exuberant would probably not go over well. He bowed low, took up a ready stance, ignited his blade and waited for an attack. He hated being relegated to Soresu; it went against his very nature. It also made him feel weak. As he continued to parry blows, he wondered if the Ha'en-Shin would think him too weak or childish to attack. What if they thought him incompetent, or handicapped because he was doing nothing but running away from each and every attack Drex threw at him? All these thoughts and more went through his head, so when his master came at him, his block was a little sloppy. However, he soon had his head back in the game. They sparred like this for a little while, Kaden's blocks becoming a little more forceful as they continued. He knew that disobeying the man was not going to win him any favours, but he also knew Drex was unlikely to call him on it when everyone was standing around. This gave the boy an idea… He waited until there was an opportunity and, instead of blocking the attack, he used the Force to jump high and threw in a minor attack sequence with the landing. It wasn't anything flashy, it was simply a sequence that demonstrated he could do more than stand there deflecting.

Drex was not impressed. Kaden's attack was rewarded with a defensive blow that was so forceful it had him clean on his back, his saber hurtling towards Drex who caught it deftly. Kaden might be exceptionally good with a saber, but he was no match for the several decades of experience that Drex had over him. Some of the younger spectators snickered although the reason for which this had happened was, of course, lost on them; it simply had looked funny.

"Do this again and I will embarrass you a lot more than this, right here, in public," Drex said sternly. "J-7LI, there's no need to translate this."

The droid, who had already opened her mouth, closed it again.

"Ooff!" the boy hissed as he hit the floor, the wind having been momentarily knocked out of him. As far as Kaden was concerned, there was nothing funny about this. His face heated with embarrassment but he was on his feet almost instantly. His temper flared in response, and he was desperate to try and save face here. In a low voice he said in a tone that matched his master's: "You wouldn't dare." He held his hand out expectantly, waiting for his lightsaber, his expression hard. He had not lost his temper in quite some time, but being put on his ass in front of everyone had irked him.

"Now you may translate," Drex told J-7LI, disigniting Kaden's saber and attaching it to his belt calmly, then letting his own follow. "You may explain to them that we have strict rules of discipline in the Jedi Order, in order to ensure that our apprentices learn to control their temper and do not inadvertently hurt anyone by using the Force. My apprentice has violated these rules repeatedly and I need to teach him a lesson that, unfortunately, cannot wait."

J-7LI stuttered and stammered, but she apparently brought this meaning across; the Ha'en-Shin went wide-eyed as Drex turned on Kaden.

Kaden's expression morphed from anger, to shocked, to horrified in the blink of an eye. Surely Drex wasn't going to… to… He wouldn't, would he? However, as Drex turned on him, his stomach lurched.

Drex did not usually punish his apprentice in public, but even if he had taken Kaden outside, there would have been no point to it; it would just have meant attracting the attention of the whole street. Besides, Drex thought that Kaden urgently needed to learn not to challenge his master's authority during missions in front of others. It was not only disrespectful, it could also seriously damage his own standing before their hosts. As to the question of how their hosts would take this public punishment, he trusted his instincts which told him that they might be surprised but would ultimately approve. Everything he had learned about this society so far told him that, while their rules might not be as oppressive as those of mainstream Ha'en-Shin society, they valued discipline and strove to ensure it. They could not have survived without it, after all.

Therefore, the look on his face was determined as he took a step towards Kaden.

And Kaden took one back, both hands raised in placation. "Wait, what? No! You - you can't do that," he stammered and cringed even more as his cowardly pleading was translated by their droid.

Drex was having none of it. He reached for Kaden's ear and used it to bend him forward. He then tucked him under his left arm and brought his right hand down onto the seat of his pants as hard as he could; and that was saying something, despite his age.

The boy might have lost his temper, but he was not completely suicidal. Therefore, when Drex took his ear he didn't resist. He did, however, hiss at the burn. Before he knew what had happened he was pinned under an arm and staring at his boots. He knew what was going to happen next so he took a death grip on the man's pant leg and tried to brace himself. Despite all this preparation, when Drex landed that first smack the boy let out a bark of pain. Force, his master was not playing with him; this hurt, it really fucking hurt. "You can't do this!" he repeated, this time quietly enough so that J7LI wouldn't translate.

"Oh, yes, I can," Drex replied calmly, meting out another hefty swat. "Ever since we arrived here, you have been challenging me and protesting your restrictions in smaller and bigger ways. This needs to stop. Your restrictions are in place for a reason, and you will accept them, just as you will accept my authority. In contrast to you, I have ample mission experience, so when I tell you what you need to do, you will obey, without backtalk or disrespect." While he talked, he had kept up his steady pace of hard swats, and he had not cared to keep his voice down either. J-7LI dutifully translated everything although she did seem a little embarrassed. Drex was not. He had given Kaden a chance to avoid this, after all, and the boy had chosen not to take it. He felt that pulling down Kaden's pants in front of spectators might be a bit much, but depending on how his padawan responded, it was an option he did not rule out. For now, he contented himself with spanking hard enough to be felt through a set of pants and underpants.

As Drex lectured, Kaden did his best to heed his words. There was only so much he could do from here, though, especially as each smack practically knocked the wind clean out of him. He started to struggle as much from the embarrassment of being punished in front of a crowd as from the pain which was, in his opinion, becoming intense far too quickly.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long before tears were forced onto his cheeks. Each swat now drew a heart-felt wail from the boy, as much from the pain as the humiliation. He endured a few more, all the while struggling to move his ass out of the way with no success. By the time Drex had landed six of the hardest smacks Kaden had ever felt from a hand before, the padawan was sniffling. His ass was burning and his face was red from both the exertion and shame. After another few he let his top half go limp and gave up any pretense that struggling was going to help; apparently, he was getting this hiding whether he wanted to submit to it or not.

Despite the strain on his arm, Drex did not let up on Kaden in the slightest. They had had a similar discussion last night, which Drex had ended immediately when Kaden had shown some contrition. It had not taken long for that contrition to evaporate. Drex intended to make sure that this time, the lesson lasted longer. He continued meting out hard swats at a measured pace, not giving the impression that he intended to stop anytime soon.

Usually if he surrendered like this, Drex either stopped or gave him a few more and then he stopped. This time he didn't; it would appear that Kade was not going to get out of this with his dignity intact. Yeah, it was not like there was much of it left at this point. Having his ass beat in front of all and sundry was a lesson in obedience and humility he wouldn't soon forget. He had stopped counting at nine; his backside felt as if it had been completely roasted. The situation was out of his control, and it was this realisation that had his sniffling turn into cries.

Drex gave Kaden a few more, then pulled him into an upright position. Without giving the boy much of a chance to process the punishment, he said in a low, stern voice, quietly enough for J-7LI not to overhear: "We are not finished yet, padawan. Tonight, when we get home, you will fetch my hairbrush, bring it to me and ask for the rest of your punishment. Is that understood?"

The second he was hauled upright, Kaden's hands flew directly to his ass and then, just as quickly, he relegated them to his sides; that had hurt like a fucker! But he was not about to stand there rubbing his ass like a swatted youngling, even if that was exactly what he felt like right now. "Yes. Master," he managed to get out without hiccoughing, because what else could he say? Arguing that he didn't want to cop it again later wasn't going to buy him any favours. He was crying but not bawling, and he didn't want to start! He tried to stand tall and control his sniffling, but despite his efforts, it was clear to anyone watching that he was well and truly chastened. He eyed his lightsaber that was still clipped to the man's belt and gave him an almost mournful expression; he didn't want to lose it when he'd just gotten it back!

Drex supposed that some would consider this a harsh punishment for a fairly minor infraction. But Drex had repeatedly made clear to Kaden that no infraction that involved the restrictions on the use of his lightsaber was considered minor; they all reliably earned Kaden a dose of his master's hairbrush. Not to speak of the fact that Kaden had been testing his limits since they had arrived here and Drex really intended to put a stop to this.

The Ha'en-Shin seemed curious, albeit unperturbed by this eventuality. It was Amare who spoke up first. "Perhaps a break from the demonstration of lightsabers?" J-7LI translated.

"Most definitely," Drex replied firmly. "Kaden, pick a quiet corner and meditate for half an hour. I will tell you when to stop."

Oh great. Now he was going to be send to a corner like a five-year-old. This just got better and better, Kaden thought morosely. He obeyed without question, though, because he knew to do anything else at this point would probably earn him more than a run-in with that horrid brush. He hated that damned thing, he really did, and he hoped fervently that his ass would have recovered by the time they returned to their apartment.

Turning towards the Ha'en-Shin, Drex bowed and said: "I apologise for the interruption. We train our youngsters to handle deadly weapons, but only and exclusively for defensive purposes. Therefore, we cannot allow them to ignore restrictions or act on their temper. I am truly sorry for having made you watch this scene, but it was necessary."

'You're sorry for making them watch!' Kaden thought incredulously as he walked away. He had overheard the comment and it grated. What about him? He had just had his ass kicked and been sent to a corner like a youngling. Did he get no apology? Apparently not – not that he actually expected one; it was just his thought process at the moment. It had also not gone unnoticed that Drex had not given back his lightsaber. He really hoped that was only because he was about to hand both back to the Ha'en-Shin because it would seriously bite to lose his weapon during a mission. That was quite possibly worse than any punishment Drex could mete out. Silently he knelt, wincing as his ass made contact with his heels. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes; meditation was not something the boy had trouble with, but doing it on a roasted ass had never been easy.

Drex unclipped the two lightsabers from his belt and held them out to Amare. "I believe our twenty-four hours are not up yet," he said with a faint smile.

Amare made to accept them, but an old man called Hanshenin interrupted her. "He says that as a member of the Council of Elders, he allows you to keep your weapons," J-7LI translated. "He will also ask your guards to stop supervising you. Seeing how seriously you take the use of the Force and the discipline it involves has made him fully confident that you are not a threat."

Drex was surprised; he had not thought this little scene would have a negative impact but had not counted on such a positive impact either. "Thank you for your trust," he said solemnly and bowed again, clipping both his own saber and Kaden's back to his belt.

Drex took a seat with their hosts and explained to them the purpose of meditation, which led to a discussion of the Jedi creed and the principles governing the Order. He also learned a bit more about the ways in which the Force was used in this society. Most of the techniques they had developed were rudimentary compared to what Drex was used to, but they did know the importance of mental discipline and used various types of meditation. They had also discovered the possibility of connecting with each other through the Force. Some of those present were able to light fires or levitate objects, but claimed they would never be able to raise a whole table like they had witnessed Drex do. They were surprised to hear Drex tell them that size did not matter, that it was all in their heads.

"We know that the Force can be used for aggressive purposes, and even to kill," Hanshenin said. "That is why discipline is so important to us. We allow those who have these gifts to develop them for defensive purposes because we can never be sure to be entirely safe from attacks. The Ha'en-Shin have been known to blame the outcasts when they faced internal problems or external threats, and we are on our guard. Still, we are aware that we need to be very careful not to cross certain limits, and that is why we can relate to the way you disciplined your apprentice."

It appeared that some of the youths that were made outcasts, whether Force-sensitive or not, had issues with aggression and were rebellious to an extent that needed to be curbed even by outcast society in order to prevent serious problems. Therefore, each new arrival below the age of twenty was placed with a guardian or a pair of guardians and some fundamental rules were quite strictly enforced. For the most part, this seemed to work well, especially since the outcasts had various towns and communities that operated a little differently from each other and accommodated a wide range of occupations and lifestyles. Still, there were rare cases in which people had to be expelled even from outcast society; this mainly concerned cases of repeated physical aggression.

Although meditating, Kaden was still aware – at some level – of what was going on around him. Not enough to follow a conversation in any detail, but enough to sense that their hosts were not put out by the clusterfuck of events that landed him here.

By the time Kaden's half hour was up, Drex had learned a lot. Amare and a few others went to fetch snacks and drinks so everyone could have a break while Drex went to release Kaden from meditation.

"Time is up, Padawan," he said gently, kneeling next to Kaden and resting a hand on his shoulder.

A second before Drex knelt, Kaden opened his eyes. When the man knelt by his side he turned to face him. He hadn't yet forgiven him for having punished him in front of all and sundry, but neither could he dispute that he had been out of line. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have disobeyed you. I shouldn't have pushed you, but, I did. I don't know why I did." Well, that part wasn't entirely true. However, admitting that he'd let his temper flare and acted out because he didn't think Drex would do anything about it wasn't a confession he was ready to make. Hell, what had he been thinking? Even had he been spared the humiliation they still had to go back to their apartment at one point.

"You're forgiven," said Drex softly, squeezing Kaden's shoulder briefly and affectionately. "Now come. There will be a break; after that, we will discuss the schedule for the upcoming days."

The longing look Kaden had thrown at his saber had not escaped him, but he was not ready to hand it back just yet. If Kaden was compliant tonight about the second part of his punishment, his chances were good, though.

Kaden, however, wasn't keen on facing the Ha'en-Shin. He stood, but did not follow. "You keeping my saber?" he asked, wanting to stall as much as he wanted to know the answer.

The expression on Drex's face could best be described as politely disbelieving.

"Tell me why you were punished just now, padawan," he said pointedly.

The expression was noted and had the padawan looking at his boots. He scratched at his head and tried to project confidence, but probably wasn't doing a very good job at fooling his own master. He sighed, not particularly wanting to restate this but finding little other option. "Because I used Ataru when you forbid it, was disrespectful when you corrected me and I caused a scene in front of our hosts whilst on a mission," he recited, thinking that he had it covered and inwardly cringing at how bad that sounded. Still, the fact that they were on a mission and he was without his lightsaber didn't sit well with him.

"That should about answer your question, then," Drex said calmly.

Kaden still did not follow. He looked at the Ha'en-Shin then back at Drex. "But, we're on a mission. What if I need it?"

"You may take my word for it that you do not need it right now," Drex said, a hint of steel in his voice. "After all, until a short while ago, the outcasts were holding our weapons and yet, nothing bad happened to us. More importantly, I told you to come and rejoin the group and I am not willing to entertain an argument about this."

In Kaden's opinion, there was a difference between the outcasts holding their weapons and Drex holding their weapons! A very big difference. He wasn't willing to say as much, though. Instead, he said in his defense, "I'm not arguing with you," only to realise the irony in that statement. "I'm… it's just… Can't we go back to our apartment and be done with this already? You just walloped me in front of everyone, is all." His cheeks were slightly pink and his gaze was downcast; there was no way he wanted to go back over there.

"Padawan, we still have things to discuss," Drex said sternly. "You will accompany me back to our hosts. And that was not a request, it was an order. Now come."

Cowed, Kaden complied. It was hard on his pride, not to mention humiliating, to return to the group after they had witnessed what just happened. He did his best to hold his head high, though, because he was a Jedi and Jedi didn't… Ah hell who was he kidding? This sucked! It wasn't easy, not at all. He winced upon taking his seat, and was noticeably uncomfortable during the discussions. Yet, eventually the discussion naturally drew any lingering attention away from him.

They agreed with their hosts to stay for at least a week. They would have daily meetings with the Force-sensitive outcasts in the evenings so as not to keep them from their regular work any longer. During the day, individual sessions with persons who were interested in specific skills or techniques could be scheduled. Apart from that, Drex and Kaden were free to explore. Amare would be ready to accompany them if and when they desired it. After the week was over, they would decide on returning to Mashen or extending their stay. Before returning, they would meet the Council of Elders to discuss the impact and desirability of an agreement with the Ha'en-Shin about training Force-sensitive children at the Temple.

A teenage boy of about Kaden's age who had been introduced as Innimo and seemed to be have a natural aptitude for performing Force suggestions approached Drex and asked whether he might meet up with Kaden at some point.

"Sure," Drex readily agreed. "Kaden does not have to spend all his time here in my company. We would just need to divide up J-7LI between us fairly. Would you like to, Kaden?"

Innimo caught Kaden's attention immediately, firstly because he was about his age, and secondly because he was strong in the Force, something his master was able to confirm. "Sure, why not. I'd like to see what you guys do for fun around here," he said in way of response when Drex asked if he'd like to spend some time with Innimo.

Innimo needed to meet his teacher today, but he proposed to pick up Kaden the next morning after breakfast, something that Drex readily agreed with. He could explore the city or meet with some of the elders to work on Force control techniques in the meantime. This was something that did not require an interpreter.

When the meeting was concluded, Amare showed them to a market where they could buy food at various stalls, then excused herself to go to work for the afternoon. People generally seemed rather busy; there was a lot of building going on and everyone seemed to have things to do.

"Did you want to go to the park?" Drex asked Kaden. "As far as I remember, you made an appointment with a few local youngsters yesterday. Alternatively, you can join me for my meeting with Hanshenin; he wanted me to introduce him to Jedi meditation techniques."

"No offense, but I'll take the park and leave meditation 101 to you and Hanshenin." Kade had been curious about what the youngsters would have to say to him, and about what else they did for fun here. Of course, he was also going to find out what he could about their lifestyle.

"You are free to spend your afternoon at the park," said Drex. "You may take J-7LI, but I will need her later to do some grocery shopping. I'll drop by the park and pick her up when I'm finished with Hanshenin. You may either join me then or stay at the park some more. In any case, be back at our apartment at half past six at the latest."

"Okay," Kaden replied and took off, J-7LI in tow.


	15. Chapter 15

Drex spent several hours with Hanshenin, meditating. The man had a fairly high amount of mental discipline for one who had never received formal training. From what Drex had gathered, the older Force-sensitive outcasts had been sent into exile as soon as their abilities had emerged. The younger ones usually had a stint with Anshin's community behind them, but when they had been unable to confine themselves to divination techniques and had in some ways demonstrated behavior that terrified Anshin, they had been made outcasts. Drex found it comforting to know that, in the not entirely unlikely event that Tivili would suffer this fate, it would not be as terrible as she feared. He had not quite got over the information that the Ha'en-Shin sterilised all outcasts, though; that had struck him as cruel.

While Drex meditated with Hanshenin, it didn't take Kaden long to reach the park even though they were on foot; the guard who was tagging along didn't hold him back.

"You needn't watch our every move. I won't do anything to cause problems, I assure you," Kaden told the guard who was trailing along behind him.

The guard nodded but didn't reply, so Kaden stopped and faced him, forcing the guy to stop, too.

"I said, you needn't watch my every move," Kaden reiterated.

The guard looked unfazed. "I'm not here to keep an eye on you, I'm here to protect you," he said, and gestured that they continue.

"Protect me? You?" Kaden burst out laughing at this. "You do realise that I'm a Jedi of the Galactic Republic." He gave the man a meaningful look, because even without his lightsaber he was confident he was superiour when it came to protection. "If either of us needs protection here it will be provided by me."

"So be it. Let's get a move on," replied the guard in a condescending tone of voice. He wasn't about to argue with the kid over this, but neither was he keen on hanging around in the street with his alien ward any longer than absolutely necessary.

Kaden wasn't placated, yet he conceded that they didn't exactly have all day here.

Nothing more was said during their short journey to the park, although Kaden did make a point of moving as far ahead of his 'guard' as he could politely manage. When they arrived, the two boys he had met yesterday were indeed there and playing as they had been the day before.

"Hello," he greeted them in their own language. As it turned out, they played games every afternoon after school and sometimes they had competitions. They also had local team sports and did things like fishing and swimming when it was warm.

Kaden listened as they told him about their last excursion at school. He shifted his weight for what felt like the tenth time that minute and was not overly surprised when the taller, lighter-furred of the two who introduced himself as Kin'sh the day before spoke up. "You got ants down your pants or something?" J-7LI translated the boy's comment, which drew a snort from the padawan.

"No, but thanks for the concern," Kaden countered, tossing a card out and asking for another. It had taken him a little while but he'd gotten the hang of the game and was enjoying it and their company.

"Tact, Kin'sh, maybe his ass is more sensitive than ours," Yu'el commented, then cocked his head to one side. "You got fur or hair on your ass?"

Kade coughed, but had their droid – who had sounded decidedly awkward at the topic – translate his answer. "Some humans do. Mostly we are hairless on our bodies until we hit puberty, which for me was around twelve. After that we grow more body hair." He pulled off his tunic revealing a surprisingly toned chest for a boy of his age, as well as a small patch of hair in the center of his chest that he'd shown off at every opportunity. Kaden was pretty much hairless, though. He did not know his precise ancestry, of course, but it seemed that the type of humans he was descended from did not grow a lot of body hair; he would be lucky if he developed much beyond what he already had.

"You call that hair? Now this is hair," Yu'el boasted, shucking his own shirt to reveal his fully-furred body.

Kaden shrugged, not feeling particularly put out over being one upped by a Ha'en-Shin in the hair department.

"So, no ants. What's wrong with you, then?" Kin'sh pressed, still curious as to why his new friend, who had appeared so relaxed yesterday, was having trouble sitting still today.

The padawan eyed him for a moment then turned to J-7LI, decision made. "Tell them I got too cocky with my master, so he walloped me." Kaden watched closely for their reactions as this was dutifully translated. He didn't want to cause any problems, but thought that highly unlikely.

The collective response was one of sympathy and curiosity. The Ha'en-Shin were not struck on their backsides for discipline, so it was hardly unexpected when they started asking questions. Kaden had questions of his own and thus found out a little more about the life of an outcast Ha'en-Shin teenager.

Their conversation went on for quite some time. In fact, they were so engrossed in their game and talk that when Drex arrived to take their droid, Kaden did not immediately sense him approach. He jumped to his feet lightning-fast, though, and pulled on his shirt before greeting the man.

Kin'sh and Yu'el both got to their feet as well, having a newfound sense of respect for the man who had apparently 'spanked' (they'd learnt that was the term for what happened to Kaden) his apprentice in the middle of a weapons demonstration for being a smartass.

Drex smiled in the general direction of his padawan and the Ha'en-Shin boys. "I'll do some shopping and explore parts of the city now," he told Kaden. "Do you want to stay here? I'll have to take J-7LI, though."

"Nah, not much point if we can't talk," Kaden said. Of course, this was translated by J-7LI who promptly told Kaden that both boys would be happy to have him back, and if he was still around, maybe go to the competitions with them in a few days. "I'll have to ask, but likely it'll be okay," Kaden told them and then said goodbye in their native language.

It wasn't a long trip to the markets where they were going to pick up some groceries. They had already acquired quite a variety of foods yesterday at the markets, but it was nice to have fresh food to prepare for their evening meals. "How was it with Hanshenin?" he asked. By this stage his ass was beginning to forgive him, so he was grateful for the fact that they walked mostly everywhere in this city.

"It was good," Drex replied. "He is fairly advanced for someone who has never received formal training, although his focus is not sufficient to use the Force for complex purposes. I'm not sure he will still be able to learn, at his age. But he seemed to enjoy meditating, and I think he'll teach a few of the younger ones. How was your stay at the park?"

"Interesting," Kaden replied. He explained the conversations they'd had, talked about the competition and told him about how the other boys were surprised he had no hair on his body. "I was gonna ask you to show them an example of humanoid body hair, but I wasn't sure how that would go over," he admitted. "Would you mind if I went to the competition with them? If we're still here, that is."

Drex smiled at Kaden's account of the discussion on body hair. His own chest was covered in hair that had been golden until a few years ago, but had turned silvery since then. He wouldn't have minded showing them, but while it was more than what Kaden had to offer, it was nothing compared to the Ha'en-Shins' lush fur, of course.

"No, I wouldn't," Drex replied to Kaden's question, "unless other obligations occur." At this point, they had arrived at their house. Drex led the way upstairs to their apartment and started packing the food away while Kaden dumped his own bags on the bench with a grunt. He hoped for Kaden's sake that he would remember his instructions and would not need to be asked a second time.

When he saw Drex feeling out the objects in the bags and putting them away without comment or further instructions, Kaden's heart sank a little. He knew what he was supposed to do now, but that didn't mean he wanted to do it. He stood there for a moment, contemplating his options. One: start helping and pretend to forget? Nah, blind his master may be, but the man could spot a lie a mile off, especially when it came from his own padawan. Two: wait to be told, even though he knew it went against his earlier instructions? Hmm, possibly, although that would heap deception onto his already impressive dossier of misdeeds. Three: Get the damned brush and act as contrite as possible in the hopes that he wouldn't catch it too badly? Kaden huffed at that, not realising how lost he was in his own thoughts. But before anything could be said, he turned and made his way into their refresher where he knew the horrid thing would be. The boy picked it up and with it memories of past encounters flooded to mind. Once he'd tried padding the thing. That was funny in hindsight. However, at the time it had simply resulted in his master procuring a tawse and paddle, both of which he had felt that day and neither of which he wanted to ever feel again.

Resigned, Kaden dragged his feet into what passed as their common room in the small apartment and pulled out the only chair. It was designed for Ha'en-Shin and had a large gap at the back where a tail was meant to go through. These chairs were uncomfortable for humanoids to sit in and for a moment Kade wondered if his master might just let him stand this time. The thought gave him hope; he hated going over the man's lap even if he knew why it was being done. Unsure what to do, he slid the chair back into the table and turned towards the kitchen where Drex was just pulling the last few things from the bag. It took him a moment and he stood there for a while working up the courage but as the last item was shelved and his master turned to leave the kitchen, Kaden cleared his throat and moved to stand before him. Force, he did not want to do this, it was just horrible. "You told me to fetch your hairbrush," he began in a subdued tone, and held it out for him to take. "Can? … Will? ... Do you think…" For fuck's sake, get your shit together! Why was this so hard? It was just Drex and it wasn't like he hadn't been spanked before! "Could we get this over with, then?" he settled on. He was loathe to add a 'please' on the end of that as, for his own good it may be, but that was just too much for his tarnished pride and dented ego at the moment.

Drex did not expect his padawan to say "please" when asking for a spanking; he did, however, expect him to phrase his request properly.

"What is it that you want to get over with?" he asked pointedly, refusing to accept the hairbrush as yet.

Kaden pursed his lips. "You know..." he said in a pained tone. He hoped that Drex was going to accept this, as it was hard enough as it was.

"That's beside the point," Drex said, and now his tone had an edge of steel to it. "I want to hear it from you."

For all of Kaden's manly pride and stubbornness, he wasn't suicidal. Thus, he kept the brush held out and, wearing his most uncomfortable expression, rephrased: "The rest of my punishment… You told me to ask for it." Yeah, Drex had told him alright, but Kaden was struggling to obey that order. Why? Cecause asking for it somehow made it feel like he wanted it. He absolutely did not! It also tore great chunks out of his pride and was humiliating. "Will you give me the rest of this punishment?" he settled on. It had been like pulling teeth! But he'd managed. Just.

It was precisely Kaden's pride that Drex had an issue with. It was an undesirable quality in a Jedi and the boy needed to conquer it, which was why Drex had made him ask for this punishment, knowing full well how much the boy was going to struggle with it.

"Thank you, padawan," he said softly, accepting the hairbrush. "That was well done. Plus, by finally complying with my orders, you narrowly escaped a dose of my belt. Come."

He led the way into their common room and pulled out the same chair that Kaden had pushed back a moment ago. Uncomfortable it may be, but it was nothing that Drex couldn't deal with. His padawan was going to be a lot less comfortable in any case.

"You know the drill," he said drily. "I want your bottom bare and you over my lap."

Subdued into silence once again, Kaden followed him into their common room and groaned when he pulled out the chair. "Master, c'mon, please?" he pleaded, knowing that Drex would know that he was referring to having to go over his lap. Still, he was unbuckling his belt as he spoke. "I'm too old for this."

"No, you're not," Drex replied, unperturbed. "And if you ever become too old for this, I will be the judge of that, so you may dispense with the pleading."

Kaden never wanted to dispense with the pleading! It was his only shot at trying to finagle his way into a lighter, or in this case, less humiliating, punishment, not that it had ever worked. He remembered how Drex had responded the first time he'd spoken about his distaste for this method. It had been the first time his master had ever walloped him and merely a week into his apprenticeship. He had dropped to his knees, the act as much a product of several years spend with his Kushiban crèche master as it was desperation, and begged and pleaded. Drex did not add to the punishment that time. Instead, he told him in a quiet tone that if he wanted to become a Jedi, he needed guidance and that sometimes he wasn't going to like the way that guidance was provided. He had then asked him something Kaden had not expected, he'd asked him if he trusted him to provide it. The boy had been speechless, because what could he say to that?

Again he found himself looking at the man, determined expression on his face, and he simply couldn't bring himself to argue further because, well, he did trust Drex. So, as much as this grated, Kaden dropped his pants, gave his bare ass a cursory rub and then awkwardly, very awkwardly, assumed the position he knew was expected. The chair was solid at least, made from some local hardwood, or so he imagined as he took a death grip on one of the legs and his other hand slipped forward to take his weight. This was going to suck.

For Drex, the whole point was, of course, to make this "suck" so much that Kaden felt no inclination to repeat this kind of behaviour any time soon. Therefore, he dispensed with preliminaries; after all, Kaden had already received a thorough spanking this morning. Drex simply raised his arm and brought the brush down onto Kaden's bottom with considerable force.

"You do not get to question my instructions, Padawan," he said firmly, letting a second swat follow. "Least of all during a mission."

In an effort to stave off some of the initial sting, the boy tightened up as Drex's arm rose. Unfortunately for him, Drex had been thorough earlier and his backside was still recovering, hence the two yelps he let out were heartfelt. "Alright, ALRIGHT! But, p-please not so hard! I swear to the Force I will never disobey you ever again. Swear!" he babbled because, holy fuck, had that hurt! And if the past was anything to go by, Drex had barely started on him.

"Good," Drex replied, unfazed, and swung the hairbrush a third time. "Because this is what will happen every single time you handle your saber in a way I have not allowed you to handle it." After this, he concentrated on delivering a very sound spanking, bringing the hairbrush down onto his padawan's bottom again and again. He did not use as much force as he might have (and already had, on other occasions), but he did not go easy on Kaden at all.

By the time Drex landed the twelfth solid whack, Kaden's ass was on fire! Sure, he'd had a lot worse before, but he had already endured one smacking today, and catching it twice in the same day was to be avoided at all costs. Kaden hadn't been so lucky this time. He started to kick and, despite knowing this was being done for his own good, couldn't help but fight Drex's hold on him. The hand wrapped around the chair leg came back in response to a particularly harsh swat to his undercurve, his supporting arm buckled and he started crying.

Drex sensed the hand coming back just in time before the brush caught it. He paused. "Give me your hands," he ordered. He knew that Kaden hated this, but he did not want to accidentally hit anything but the boy's bottom. Besides, whether Kaden hated this or not was irrelevant.

"N-no," the boy sniffled. He hated losing that last bit of control, hated it! He also knew from painful experience what would happen if he did not do as he was told. There was a small amount of hope that the man would reconsider, though; he was fourteen now, older than on previous such occasions, so maybe he'd get one more chance to keep still. He could do it. "I can do it, I promise I won't move, I won't!" he begged, no longer caring how pathetic he sounded.

Drex heaved an internal sigh at Kaden's stubbornness. "That was not the smart thing to say," he informed the boy. He put the hairbrush onto the table, opened the clasp of his belt and slid it out of its loops, letting the utilities glide unto the floor. "Now give me your hands," he repeated, a hint of steel in his voice.

"Waiiittt!" Kaden cried as he heard the sound of a belt buckle being opened. Both hands immediately flew back to cover his backside, but self-preservation kicked in just in the nick of time and he raised them slightly to show compliance. If Drex nailed his ass with that belt, he was going to come unstuck, fast. He started crying in earnest now as he knew what was about to happen and there wasn't anything he could do to get himself out of it.

"You do not say no to me during a punishment," Drex informed Kaden, just in case there was any ambiguity left concerning the reasons for this upgrade. Then he grabbed both of Kaden's hands with his left, doubled the belt over in his right and brought it down across the boy's bottom smartly. The last time this had happened, he had contented himself with a couple of strokes. Not this time. This time, he dealt out half a dozen. If this did not help Kaden learn not to question his orders during a punishment, he didn't know what would.

The boy wailed loudly enough to alert half a city block with each lick until his voice was hoarse and he was limp and bawling. He had reached the contrition part of this punishment when Drex took his hands. Despite knowing he'd brought all of this on himself, he couldn't help the self-pity he currently felt; he had been well and truly pulled back into line, or perhaps 'dragged' was a better verb here given his stubborn streak. In any case, he was in no state to contemplate this at the moment. What the Force had he been thinking? Was he out of his mind? Apparently he was…

After having completed the half dozen, Drex put the belt aside and picked up the hairbrush again to continue where he had left off. He doubted that Kaden would be happy with this, but then, he was not supposed to like it.

No, Kaden was not happy about it. In fact, he was decidedly unhappy about it and was making this known both vocally and across their bond. His default shields had crumpled at about the time Drex meted out that last lick with his belt, not that he cared much about that at the moment because he was too busy wailing, kicking and squirming to care about his pride or to attempt begging. This hurt, it hurt more than he thought he could stand!

Drex finished the spanking off with a dozen impressive swats that were all aimed at the lower part of Kaden's bottom. Then he put the hairbrush aside and rested his right hand on Kaden's lower back, rubbing it slightly. When he felt that his padawan had calmed down a little, he released his hands.

It took Kaden a solid minute to stop crying and start to pull himself together. That had been a walloping he would remember for a very long time. When Drex released his hands, they went to the floor immediately, and although Drex wouldn't have let him face-plant, the position left him feeling off-balance. Still sniffling, he slid off the front of his master's lap and got to his feet; his ass was so sore that he wasn't even trying to rub. "Can. I go. To. My r-room. P-plea-se?" he managed to stammer. There was no way anything was touching his ass right now, not even his trousers, so he just bundled them in his arms and waited, his gaze fixed on the floor. He wasn't angry at Drex, but his pride was smarting – granted, not as much as his backside, but still he wanted to go sulk.

"Ten minutes," said Drex. "I expect you back here when they are up."

Thank the Force, the boy thought when Drex granted him leave; there had been a few times when he had not, and meditating on an ass this sore was not something he wanted to do right now unless he was ordered to. Wordlessly, he slunk off into his bedroom. He pulled off his tunic, tossed it onto his bed and made for the bathroom where he planned to clean himself up a little and inspect the state of his ass. He turned on the cold water and stuck his butt under the stream, visibly relaxing as the cool water started to draw out some of the sting. The relief would be shortlived, but it was better than no relief at all. There were six distinct welts, each with a faint double edge on the opposite side and several overlapping ovals, most of which were still a little pale in the middle but some had faded to scarlet. Yep, his ass had been completely roasted.

While Kaden went to his room, Drex returned his hairbrush back to the refresher, washed his hands and started preparing dinner. His options were limited since the kitchen was poorly equipped when compared to Temple standards. There was no cooler and the stove was run on charcoal which Drex did not feel quite comfortable handling unless it was strictly necessary. Apparently, energy was in short supply in this town. Drex had learned that the community generated some electricity from small hydro power plants, but it was strictly rationed; houses and apartments were allowed to have electric lights, but no electric stoves or coolers. Besides the lack of energy, the outcasts had no facilities to build such appliances. They did have a communal cold storage room and also a communal laundry service.

At the market, Drex had bought various types of stuffed bread rolls, pickled vegetables and fruit, mostly based on what Kaden had thought looked good. Drex put some of the food on plates and set the table. They were going to drink tap water; it was from a nearby spring and tasted good.

After exactly ten minutes to the second the boy exited his room clad in nothing but a loose pair of cotton training pants and wearing a pained expression. He was no longer sniffling, but nor did he look comfortable. "Want help?" he asked quietly, leaning into the counter and folding his arms about his chest. Kaden was in pain but the shower had helped. He was not sulking, well, not really… Okay maybe he was just a bit, but well, hell, he thought that was warranted.

"No, thank you, I'm just about done," said Drex gently, pulling Kaden into a hug. "I'll give you some bacta soon," he promised. "First, though, let's meditate together." He knew that Kaden was unlikely to feel like meditating, but the boy needed to find his balance or there would just be more trouble.

Meditate? Ugh… "Really?" The padawan made a face but apart from that, did not complain further; he'd just had his ass handed to him for questioning orders and disobeying and he wasn't about to repeat it. "Right, meditate," Kaden reiterated, and moved to his mat where he knelt. He winced despite having lowered his ass onto his heels carefully. Still, he closed his eyes and waited for Drex to sit opposite as he usually did.

Their meditation went as usual, if perhaps a little more effortful on Kaden's part given the pain in his ass. He released his frustrations into the Force. Drex's reassurance that despite having been disciplined, he was still not giving up on him was appreciated. Kaden rarely needed that reassurance any more, but sometimes it was nice to be reminded that despite his failings, he was on the right track.

Drex allowed Kaden some bacta; then they had dinner Ha'en-Shin style, i.e. seated on pillows on the floor. The food, while simple, turned out to be quite good. Drex had not expected their stay with the outcasts to be so outright pleasant.

That evening Kaden lay in bed with a sullen look on his face. Drex had not returned his lightsaber and although he hadn't said a word or complained about it at the time, he was sulking now that he was alone. He had wanted to ask to have it back but knew there was no point in that.

If Kaden had complied fully with his instructions during his punishment, Drex would probably have given him his saber back after their meditation. As it was, he thought it better to wait a bit longer in order to let the lesson sink in. On the other hand, he did not feel it was warranted to confiscate his padawan's saber for an extended period of time. For one thing, this would lead to questions from their hosts; for another thing, they were in partly unknown territory and Kaden was on his own for some of the time, so he should be able to defend himself if necessary.

Thus, the next morning, while they had breakfast, Drex said: "About your saber. Are we clear on why I took it from you yesterday?"

Kaden had not expected Drex to wake him that morning, saber in hand, and ready to present it to him. So when this failed to happen, it was hardly unexpected. It didn't mean he was happy about it; he wasn't! Kaden had thus far managed to keep his sulking to himself. However, when Drex brought up yesterday's clusterfuck over breakfast, he couldn't keep a slightly sulky look from his expression. "Because I used it in a way you had not authorised." It was short and to the point, but honest.

"Yes," said Drex. "And because you gave me an attitude about it, in front of our hosts, I kept it for the time being. I will give it back to you after breakfast because I don't want you to explore the city on your own, unarmed. But be warned: if you violate the rules I have set concerning the use of your saber one more time during this mission, I will keep your saber with me until we return to the Temple and this will be mentioned in our mission report. If this means that you stay at my side for the remainder of this mission, so be it. Am I understood?"

That didn't go over well with Kaden, but what else could he do here? Drex wasn't exactly overreacting, as much as tarring him with that brush would have eased his smarting pride and dented ego. "Understood," he confirmed a tad sullenly. He was doing his best to keep the sulking to a minimum, but these things weren't easy for a boy who struggled with a number of pride-related issues. He wasn't sure if Drex was serious about his threats or not. Losing his lightsaber on a mission and being relegated to the man's side was a fate too horrendous to consider, let alone experience. Kaden decided that it wasn't worth testing him over, and continued with his breakfast; the knowledge that he had his weapon back for now was enough to keep the sulking to a minimum.

"Alright," said Drex. "Now stop sulking. You got no more than you deserved for this. Your pride keeps getting in your way."

He detached Kaden's saber from his belt and handed it to the boy.

"Am not," Kade retorted, doing his best to wipe the expression from his face. Kaden rather thought himself entitled to a little sulking, considering; the punishment had been harsh even if it was deserved. He took his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. Finally, the universe was once again as it should be!

* * *

The next couple of days were busy, but not stressful. They met various Force-sensitive outcasts for talks and lessons and gave several more displays of kata and sparring, this time with Kaden following his orders and on his best behaviour. They also participated in as much of the outcasts' daily lives as possible and learned a lot. They also went on a ride through the woods, looking at a charcoal manufacture, the hydro power plant and a farming village. They ended up at a lake where they went for a swim with Amare and a few others who accompanied them for the trip. In the evenings, Drex and Kaden filled data pads with detailed reports and sent them to their ship. All in all, they were having a good and productive time.

"I'm done," Kaden said through a yawn, pushing his evening's worth of work towards Drex for review. They had been doing this each night now and he appreciated the constructive criticism, as well as the time they spent discussing their findings.

"What, that bad?" Drex asked mildly, pausing in his own typing. "Anything the matter, padawan?"

"No, I guess not." Kaden would be expected to endure far worse things in his life than feeling a little tired. He stood and stretched. "Want a cup of tea?"

"Yes, thank you, padawan, I'd appreciate that," said Drex, smiling.

The outcasts had a variety of teas produced from local herbs, and there was one that Drex and Kaden had taken a liking to. It was both refreshing and soothing and therefore the ideal drink after a busy day.

"Any plans for tomorrow?" Drex asked Kaden. "We will need to make up our minds on whether we want to leave with the next helicopter or stay for another week – or whether we want to try out the other route."

"The other route" was the route that the Ha'en-Shin had pretended did not exist – a route across the mountains to a cove that the outcasts had turned into a basic port from which they traded with other nations. They could join a cart with trading goods across the mountains and wait for the next ship to arrive, which might agree to take them to its destination. This would allow them to explore peoples that the Ha'en-Shin had no official contact with. It might also make them unpopular with the Ha'en-Shin who were expecting them back in a week or two, but Drex assumed he would be able to negotiate his way around that under some pretext.

Kade shrugged. He lifted the pot from the heater and set it on a cork mat. It was at moments like this that he truly appreciated the small, portable water heater that they carried in their mission gear, otherwise they would have to use charcoal whenever they wanted tea and that would have been a pain in the ass. "I was gonna go to the competition with Yu'el and Kin'sh. I'm not good enough to play with them, but I can watch. Apart from that, nothing, except for what you have planned, of course," he said and took a sip of his tea. It was good.

"And what are your feelings on our route from here?" Drex asked. Personally, he felt that, while it might be enjoyable to stay for a week longer, they had really found out all that was important about this culture. Besides, there were still many more countries to explore. In the interest of their mission, he felt that they should either go for the route across the mountains or take the next helicopter back and take an airplane from Mashen to whatever country Tiis and Devra had planned for them next. He was interested to hear Kaden's input, though. Once they had made up their minds, he was going to comm Devra who was closest to them at the moment.

Kaden took a moment to think about that. Hell, yes, he wanted to take that path through the mountains! But at the same time, he didn't want to give the impression that he was simply jumping at the most entertaining option; that was very un-Jedilike, after all. "Well, I'd like to take the path through the mountains; it could be good to see what's out there, also. If we make the port at the cove, we could jump on a ship and sail somewhere else. We're meant to be exploring the planet after all," Kaden suggested, no longer trying to keep the excitement out of his tone; if Drex allowed it, this could be a lot of fun as well as useful for their mission.

"Agreed," Drex said, "especially as it seems to be a convenient way to get into some of the countries the Ha'en-Shin don't want us to visit. They are trying quite hard to stay in control of our stay on this planet. What do we do with the Ha'en-Shin, though? They will expect us back this week or next. I will need to comm them and give them some excuse. Any ideas?"

"Pull rank and tell them that this is what we are doing," Kaden stated the obvious. Drex was the authority on this mission and the Ha'en-Shin wanted membership with the Republic; it would be in their best interest to do as he said.

"Padawan, we need to be diplomatic about this," Drex said patiently. "Yes, they want membership, but that doesn't mean we don't care whether they love or hate the Republic – which is currently being represented by us. Besides, the remainder of our mission will go a lot easier if the Ha'en-Shin are helpful. I will comm them and tell them we need to stay a week longer. When we have reached the shore and found out where we're actually heading next, I can think of something else. If it's a nation that they're hostile towards, I can tell them that I found evidence of some threatening use of the Force and need to check it out in their own best interest, or something along these lines."

Kaden frowned slightly at having to take the diplomatic approach. Sometimes he hated tact, as brute force could be a far easier means to an ends. Despite his personal feelings he inclined his head in agreement. "When do we leave?"

"From what the locals told me, it's a fairly short trip by speeder, but I think they'd much prefer us not to ask them for a speeder ride because of their fuel shortage," Drex replied. "They usually take goods that are not perishable across the mountains on carts. Since these carts do not manage more than walking speed, and the people who undertake the trip in fact walk beside them, it takes four days, unless it rains in which case it may take up to a week."

"Four days isn't so bad. Although speeders would be more convenient. Oh well, we'll get to see the mountains in any case, it could be fun." Of course Kaden knew that missions weren't about having fun, but hell, if fun happened in the course of their duties, he wasn't gonna complain about it.


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning Kade made them a big breakfast of fruit, cereal and the last of their bread. After packing his bag, he left for the competition early, leaving Drex to finalise arrangements with the locals for their trip across the mountains. Apparently, it was forecast to rain in a few days, but the weather prediction in this area was dodgy at best.

"I'm back," he announced and tossed his cloak on the arm of their only chair. "Yu'el and Kin'sh came third in the competition. They got bronze medallions to wear around as trophies. You should have seen that place, it was packed out," Kaden told the man, who he could sense was in their apartment, but was not in sight. "When do we leave?"

Drex emerged from the kitchen where he had been slicing bread rolls.

"Hello, padawan," Drex said. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. We're leaving the day after tomorrow. Ten carts with carved wood products and furs are leaving for the shore early in the morning. They will be managed by three guides who are hoping for us to help."

"Alright then. I'm sure we can be of some use to them, just as long as it's not too much grunt work." The latter was added in a tone that suggested he wasn't entirely serious. And he wasn't, not entirely... Kaden had never been an overly athletic sort of kid. He'd always relied on his prowess with a saber to do most of the work during sparring and hence he hadn't developed as much muscle or stamina as most boys his age. Drex had been working to remedy that since having taken him as an apprentice, often choosing punishments in the form of muscle building exercises to supplement his standard weights regime. Kaden hated the training. What he did not hate was the results! He had a naturally muscular physique, thus the addition of vigorous weights had resulted in a body that he was rather proud of for a boy his age.

"Well, I hate to disappoint you," Drex said wryly, "but I suspect it will be quite a bit of grunt work."

And he turned out to be correct. Rain had started to drizzle from a grey sky the morning of their departure. Within hours, the tracks, which were tough going at the best of times, had turned muddy. They repeatedly needed to help the Hra'ersh – which was what the draft animals were called – pull the carts across obstacles or out of mud holes. When the going was good, they needed to keep up a stiff pace since the Hra'ersh were surprisingly fast. No wonder the guides, one woman and two men, were all young, sturdy and strong. They were used to the exhausting work. Drex, on the other hand, was feeling the strain by the late afternoon, but he did not complain. He'd rather save his breath; after all, they hadn't even started climbing the hills yet which, as he understood, they would reach tomorrow by late morning.

Drex might not want to waste his breath but Kaden was sure going to. He was not enjoying this trip. It was hard work and he was not at all thrilled with the conditions and rain. The boy had started to complain around lunch time, but after a flippant reprimand from Drex, he had held his tongue, until now. "This is just freaking ridiculous," he grumbled, swiping his hands on damp trousers. It wasn't cold here, but the rain was adding to his displeasure. He flopped onto a tree stump where everyone had stopped to rest, a ticked-off expression on his face. He held up a hand so their droid would not translate, and frowned at the ground.

Their droid was not having the best of times either, but J-7LI fought on valiantly – something that could not be said for Kaden.

"It is the life these people are forced to live," Drex said calmly, but with a slight edge to his voice that signified a clear warning. "If they can stand it, we can as well. You are young, fit and healthy, after all. You'll survive. Now. Stop. Whining." Whining had never been anything he was very tolerant of. He was all the less tolerant of it now since he himself was having a much harder time dealing with this trip than he would have had ten or even five years ago. A whiny padawan would make things even worse, and therefore, he did not want to have one. Period.

Their female guide, whose name was Heryen, noticed the expression on their youngest face, and although the droid was not translating, she could guess what the conversation was about. "Here, drink this. It will give you a bit of a boost," she told the scowling boy and handed a small cup to both Jedi.

J7LI was quick to translate. She didn't like the tone the master had used and had been with the pair long enough to know where it was going to end up if the padawan did not pull himself together.

Still scowling, but no longer complaining – at least not out loud – Kaden accepted the cup and thanked the woman in her native tongue. He pulled out his scanner to check if it was suitable for both himself and Drex, and once it was clear, he took a huge gulp. It wasn't bad, kind of bitter but sweet. "What is it?" he had their droid ask, draining the contents and placing the cup aside.

"She says that it's the sap from a Loc tree mixed in with saliva and the posteriors of fire ants," J-7LI dutifully told the two Jedi. Kaden's face went a little green, his mood taking another dive; he hated this place. "You gotta be shitting me. I just drank somebody's spit and a bunch of ant asses!" he complained. J7LI was half way through translating that when Kaden held up his hand to stop her.

Drex could not help but chuckle at that. "Did it help, at least?" he asked.

"So far I just feel sick," Kaden confessed, trying not to dry-heave over the idea of drinking mashed up asses and spit. Still, the nausea was taking his mind off the walking they had left to do.

Noticing that their guides, Heryen, Ngakam and Se'ceck, were prepared to leave, Drex rose from the tree trunk he had been sitting on. They needed to walk for another hour until they reached one of the huts that had been built alongside the route. While not luxurious, it had a stable for the animals, a fireplace and several beds. From what Ngakam had told him, they would also have the opportunity to cook a hot dinner. Drex was definitely looking forward to this. They did have rainproof cloaks, but the near-constant chilly rain was still getting to him - again, much more so than it would have done five or ten years ago.

By the time they reached the hut, Kaden was in a foul mood.

"Miss Heryen asks you to help Ngakam and Se'ceck unhitch the animals," J7LI translated to a displeased apprentice whose scowl only deepened. Kade looked to Drex for permission. When it was given, he strode off to do as asked.

It was fiddly work. There were buckles and clips and the cart itself was quite heavy. He guessed the Hra'ersh were strong animals; none of them looked as bad as he felt, or so he sensed. They were just looking forward to being brushed. Well, that was a task Kaden did not mind doing.

It took them twenty minutes to unhook the animals and brush them down. Kaden was then sent to the hut where he found Drex helping Heryen with some food preparation. "Done," he announced sullenly. He was filthy dirty, tired and looked like he was about to crack the mother of all fits if he was made to do one more thing that day. Of course, the life of a Jedi was not one of pleasure pursuits, he had been told this many times. Still…

"Water is heating," Drex told Kaden, ignoring his sullen tone – for now. "We will all be able to take a warm shower of sorts before going to bed. There are still twenty minutes left until dinner is done. Could you remove the mud from our boots before it becomes stuck and set them out to dry?"

No! Kade wanted to say. Instead he was silent for a long moment. That was until Drex put down his peeler and turned in his direction. The expression on his master's face spoke volumes. "Fine," he answered before the man could react further and strode for the door, purposefully slamming it on the way out. Hard!

"Temper, temper," Heryen commented, flinching as the door slammed.

J7LI looked towards the door. "I can go and talk to him if you like, perhaps help with his chore," the droid suggested, looking at Drex.

Drex, however, had already risen to his feet. He had just about been done slicing the tubers he had been given anyway. "No, thank you," he said quietly. "Excuse me for a moment."

He strode after Kaden, closing the door behind himself quietly, gripped him by the shoulder, turned him around and applied a scorching swat to his backside. "Do you want more or are you ready to behave?" he asked matter-of-factly, without releasing his grip.

Kaden sensed Drex coming. However, it was the expression on the man's face that had him straightening as he closed the door behind himself and came after him. He knew what was going to happen, which did nothing for his already dour mood. Wordlessly, he folded his arms and waited, and Drex did not disappoint. The smack had been of the 'I'm not playing around' sort; it left his backside stinging and his hands gripping his forearms tightly. Did he want more? Hell, no! But neither was he going to simper. "No, no more," he said through gritted teeth. That had hurt and he was already hurting from the day's work. Pushing the man now would just make things fifty times worse for himself. Besides, he knew that Ngakam and Se'cech were still feeding the animals, and he did not want to draw their attention, which a full ass kicking was sure to do. He moved a little in an effort to pull himself from the man's grip, wanting this talk over with.

"Then I hope for your sake that you will rein in your temper and do as you're told without complaint," Drex said, releasing his hold on Kaden. The tone of his voice made it clear that his padawan was still walking on thin ice, though.

Kaden inclined his head and returned to his assigned task. He recognised the tone and knew he was pushing his master's patience; the man didn't like whining and the boy knew that.

When Drex returned to the kitchen, dinner was almost done. The guides were in a cheerful mood. They seemed certain that the rain was going to stop during the night. Besides, they said, this was the most comfortable and best-equipped hut so they should make use of it while they could.

Dinner was delicious and the shower that followed, even better. Kaden was dressed in a pair of sleep pants when he entered what passed as their common room.

Drex gave Kaden a smile and invited him to sit next to him. They were all going to turn in soon in order to be well-rested for the next day. The room had warmed up thanks to the roaring fire that Heryen had built up the moment they had entered, and the bunk beds looked quite cozy. Se'cech had made some tea which he assured them was exclusively made of local leaves, no ants or spit involved. It was supposed to be calming. Drex assumed that was a good thing where Kaden was concerned.

Kade looked at the tea dubiously, but after a more detailed scan confirmed the absence of both asses and spit, he took a sip and did indeed find it soothing. He visibly relaxed, content to listen to the conversations being translated by J-7LI. Apparently, the ten carts of goods they were 'escorting' were important to a lot of people for their livelihoods, and the port they were heading to was their main export location, at least for the outcasts.

They talked for about twenty minutes before Kaden started to feel his eyelids getting heavy, not that he was willing to say as much as there was no way he was going to bed unless he was sent there first. Yep, no way, he thought as he settled into a more comfortable position. The smack he'd gotten earlier had long since faded and so sleeping was not going to pose a problem for the exhausted padawan.

They were all tired and before Kaden could fall asleep on Drex's shoulder, they broke up the talk and turned in. Drex pointed Kaden to the higher of two bunks. He decided to forego their evening meditation this once; he would just wake Kaden a little earlier than necessary in the morning.

Having slept like a log for several hours, he woke up when he sensed the guides stir. He rose quietly and shook Kaden's shoulder. "Come on, padawan," he whispered. "Meditation. It's going to be another long day." On the plus side, the rain had stopped; on the downside, they would have to start the ascent up the hills today.

"Wait, I just want to see what Tiis does with the lightsabers," the boy responded, still caught up in some crazy dream. It wasn't until Drex physically shook him that he blinked and realised what he'd said. "Uh! You didn't hear that," he said scratching the back of his head and jumping from the top bunk. He'd slept well, but not as long as he'd have liked.

Their morning meditation centred on patience and perseverance, which, much to Kaden's surprise Drex was drawing on as well; he hadn't realised this since to him, the man was invincible. But his master was old and this trip was probably hard on him, too, if not more so. Feeling guilty at not having acknowledged this yet, the boy opened his eyes and leaned forward, placing his hand on the man's shoulder. "I'll do better," he said, and at the time the boy really meant it.

… Unfortunately, by the time they were a quarter of the way up the hilly track, the padawan had, well, not forgotten his earlier pledge, not exactly, but he was rethinking it. Sure, it was not raining. No, now it was muggy, his feet felt squelchy despite being dry, and there were these little black bugs that kept getting in his eyes and mouth. The longer this went on, the more Kaden's mood soured, and although he had not complained as much as he had the day before, he was not at all happy or feeling overly patient. "If one more bug flies in my face I'm gonna fry the lot of them!" he grumbled and swiped at the space in front of him. An ozone smell filled the air for a moment, and then a couple of the offending insects dropped into his soup. "Fantastic!" he grumped, putting his cup aside.

"Stop complaining," Drex said sternly. "Or do you think my tolerance for that has suddenly miraculously increased?" In fact, the bugs liked him even more than they liked Kaden. Probably something to do with the smell of Hrakian sweat. Drex had so far simply born it silently, however.

Kaden huffed at the reprimand. He knew the tone well, though, thus he desisted.

That lasted until they were about an hour from the next hut. They had stopped to adjust one of the carts which had apparently started to come loose on the way up. Kade crossed his arms about his chest and frowned but helped when he was asked to. Drex used the Force to levitate the cart; Kade was kept busy tightening the buckles on one side, while Se'cech worked on the other side. It was fiddly work, and Kade's hands were sore from helping unhitch ten carts last night; he simply wasn't used to this sort of labour, nor did he like it. Not one bit. Finally, after ten minutes of fiddling around, they got the cart secured and they were once again moving up an incline. The animals did not seem overly taxed by this. Kaden, however, was fast losing his patience.

Ngakam turned to Kaden about half an hour later and asked something which J-7LI translated as a request to assist unhitch the forward carts when they arrived. The man himself was not intimidating but he had a no-nonsense attitude when it came to getting the job done. Many hands make light work, he'd scolded Kaden the evening before when he'd grumpily assisted them in unhitching the carts. Apparently, they weren't treating him any differently because of his age or race; they made him do the same amount of work as everyone else. Well, the boy was tired, sore, cranky and the last thing he wanted to do when they got there was unhitch carts. "No," he retorted quietly in a moment of temper. He hadn't meant it, of course; he knew he had to help. Unfortunately for him, J7LI was quick to translate, and the petulant expression on the boy's face did not help.

"No?" Ngakam questioned, looking from Kaden to the droid as she translated.

"My padawan means yes, of course," Drex interceded in a tone of voice that brooked no resistance. "And when he's done, he will gladly help out with any other tasks we can find for him to do."

He put a hand on Kaden's shoulder and murmured in his ear: "Your only choice at this point is to do these tasks with or without a sore bottom, Padawan, so I suggest you cut down on any protests you might want to utter. Jedi always try to help. Your attitude is uncalled for."

Cowed, Kaden gave a grunt in response to Drex's warning. Then, after wiping the petulant expression off his face, he inclined his head towards Ngakam in way of apology, because contrary to his previous beliefs, the boy now had no doubt that his master would haul him to the side of the road and wallop him before all and sundry. Besides, he had let his temper control him when he knew that Drex would help him if he asked. The problem was, he didn't want to ask because he should be able to manage this on his own by now.

Ngakam narrowed his eyes at Kaden. The human was only a boy, but the young were strong. In his opinion, the boy ought to be working harder to keep the load off his elderly, blind master; Kade's desire to lessen his workload was something that did not sit well with the guide at all. "I think you can clean the mud off everyone's boots this evening," he said, allowing a long pause for J-7LI to translate.

Kaden started to deep-breathe. He closed his eyes and forced his frustration at being saddled with yet more work into the Force. It was a crude effort at best. The air around him crackled with static despite the humidity, his eyes turned dark and his fists balled at his sides; he was going to lose his shit.

The Ha'en-Shin watching this could tell the boy was angry; he had been given extra work and was probably not happy about it. It was understandable, as far as they were concerned. The Hra'ersh, however, were far less forgiving. They reared up, kicked at the earth and looked as if they were about to bolt.

"Saha Si SI SI," both Heryen and Se'cech exclaimed, grabbing the reins and trying to placate their animals.

Drex reacted fast. He was no expert at working with animals like some other Jedi were, but he was very good at shielding, and he used this skill to immediately throw up a protective shield around Kaden to contain the anger that was emanating from him. Then he squeezed Kaden's shoulder in order to get his attention, sent a wave of calming energy to him through the Force and ordered: "Breathe and count to ten, Padawan. Breathe."

To Ngakam, he said: "You'd best go ahead. We'll follow in a moment."

Ngakam nodded, as did the others. They were all eager to get their Hra'ersh as far away from the boy as they could before they lost their carts.

"ONNNNE, TWOOOO, THREEEEEE, four, FIVVVVE, SIXXXX…" Kaden closed his eyes again and focused on the calming energy Drex was flooding their bond with. The shield his master had thrown up around him was a technique they used with out-of-control toddlers, which grated; but then, this was not the first time Drex had needed to forcibly put a lid on his temper. By the time he counted nine, the boy was beginning to calm down, something that was evident when he opened his eyes and they were once again void of the dark red tinge.

He went a second time on Drex's instruction: "One, two, three, four, five…" He was calm now, albeit feeling decidedly guilty at his lack of self-control. "I'm sorry," he said at having completed a second count and wrapped his arms about his chest.

"Apology accepted," said Drex calmly, squeezing Kaden's shoulder again briefly and then letting go. "Come, Padawan. The mud has dried up; from what I hear, we will reach tonights lodgings around four in the afternoon. There will be no point in going further because the next hut is too far for us to reach before nightfall. After you have completed your chores, I think you will benefit from some quiet meditation."

This was not meant as a punishment, per se, but it turned out to be because once the animals were taken care of, the guides took off into the woods behind the hut which were dotted with clearings and little lakes with clear water on which the sun was shining. They invited Drex and Kaden to come for a swim.

"Thank you," said Drex. "I will be glad to come. My padawan has to meditate, though." And Kaden did have to meditate; he badly needed to. That he missed out on a swim because of this was just bad luck.

Initially the order to meditate did not faze the boy. In fact, if it got him out of cleaning off everyone's boots, all the better. Unfortunately, not only did he still wind up scraping boots (which was not such a huge job given that the mud had all but dried up), he was also about to miss out on the first bit of fun they'd had since embarking on this nightmare trip. "Please," he said, grabbing Drex's arm before the man could leave, "let me come, too. I'm sorry that I lost my temper, it won't happen again."

"No," said Drex quietly and firmly. "You badly need to get your temper under control. Therefore, you will meditate. And I have to point out that my patience is wearing rather thin, so my tolerance for complaints is not very high." If Kaden was good about this, Drex was going to take him for a night-time swim. But first, Kaden needed to show that he actually could do as he was told without complaint.

Kaden did not usually have a problem complying with orders. Unfortunately, he did have a lingering issue with his temper which sometimes got in his way. His jaw squared, his back stiffened and he frowned. "Fine, be that way," he said through gritted teeth, barely resisting the urge to tack on comments about how unfair this was. Instead, he turned on his heel and strode for his bunk where he proceeded to pull his mat from his pack, rolled it out and knelt with a thud. He was not happy.

To his credit, the boy stuck at this for a good half hour before he opened his eyes and huffed. It was late afternoon and the sun was still warm. Moreover, he could sense the contentment of all the beings around him, including the Hra'ersh which told him that he was no longer a danger. His anger had abated at least enough to be safe. He swiped at a curl of dust on the floor and huffed once again; this sucked! Everyone was out having a break except for him which just wasn't fair! He'd been given extra work and still he was stuck in here meditating. His mood started to sour once again but he got it under control; if Drex sensed it, he'd come back to help him, and this would interfere with the plan that was forming in Kaden's mind. If they got to have a break, then so should he! It was only fair, Kaden reasoned, getting to his feet and kicking his mat under his bunk where it would be easy to pull out when he returned.

Ten minutes later, the boy was peeling off his clothing and slipping into a small pool of water he'd found not far from their hut. It was in the opposite direction to that in which he sensed the others and close enough that he would have time to dress quickly and get back, should he sense them getting close. The water was very blue and oddly warm, but he put that down to thermal activity under the ground. Apparently, the mountains had been created by volcanoes, hence the existence of thermal pools was no surprise. Still, it smelled a little strange so he wasn't planning to stay in long. Drex would no doubt smell that; he had an excellent sense of smell, possibly due to his blindness.

Kaden was really enjoying what he considered a well-deserved opportunity to clean himself and relax. Why should he miss out? It wasn't a fair order! The longer he brooded over this, though, the less righteous he felt and the more wary of being caught he became. If he was caught disobeying again on this mission, Drex might just feed him to the Council! Amongst other things… It was niggling thoughts like this, along with the odd-smelling water, that had the boy cut his respite shorter than he would have liked. He had barely spent twenty minutes in the pool when he was out of it again.

He had been careful not to get a drop of water in his hair, and was diligent at covering his tracks. He cleaned his boots off again upon his return and left them exactly where they had been before he'd left. The hut was empty as expected. This was both a relief and cause for further indignation; Drex and the others were probably all still relaxing while here he was stuck, covering his tracks after a measly twenty-minute respite. UNFAIR! Kaden took his time washing off in the bucket of sweet water the guides had left at the door. Then he quickly pulled his mat from under the bunk and knelt once again.

It took him a moment but he eventually entered a meditative trance and refocused on releasing his emotions into the Force. This time, he was releasing more than anger, though; this time, he was also trying to assuage frustration, righteous indignation, and guilt. However, if Kaden was honest with himself, he didn't expect his jaunt to be discovered. He'd covered his tracks too well. Besides, every padawan had to get away with trouble once in a while!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: We would like to thank everyone for their reviews, IMs and continued support. Shout out to Ullswater and Zackira who have stuck with us from the beginning; we're glad that you guys continue to enjoy our stories and are kind enough to leave your thoughts in reviews. It's inspiring to hear that people are reading and enjoying what we write.

We'd also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that this is a work of fiction. It is based in a fictional universe and portrays fictional characters, events and interactions; good, bad and ugly. We're neither intending this to be parenting advice literature nor a realistic description of childhood. It is fiction, plain and simple, set in a universe where, in our opinion, strong emphasis on discipline in the relationship between master and padawan would make sense. Please see Chapter One for warnings.

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The guides had wanted to offer Drex a treat and took him to the largest pond which was actually the size of a small lake. It was half an hour's walk from the hut. Drex did not feel quite comfortable with going so far away from his padawan, but he did not want to offend the guides or constantly bother them with his padawan's troubles either. Besides, he currently sensed no anger coming from Kaden. And he did enjoy the opportunity to have a proper swim, as well as to feel really clean. The water was pleasantly cool and clear, and the sun was surprisingly warm. They stayed for a good hour until they started to make their way back. It was a slow return because the guides used it to collect herbs and berries along the way.

When Drex and the guides reentered the hut, Drex was pleased to notice that his padawan was still meditating as he had been told. While the guards went to prepare dinner, Drex knelt down next to Kaden. "Are you feeling calmer now?" he asked solemnly.

Given that he was actually doing as he had been told when Drex entered, Kaden had sensed him coming and opened his eyes a second before the man knelt at his side. He dropped his eyes immediately, but then, he had lost his temper earlier so he had reason to feel a little guilt despite the meditation. "I guess. Although it wasn't swimming or fun," he replied quietly. Kaden still thought that it was unfair of Drex to make him miss out. He turned to glance at the others whom were either washing at the bucket or in the kitchen.

"We'll go for a night-time swim later," Drex said sympathetically. "Now let's help the others prepare dinner."

Well hell, Kade had not expected that! If he'd known Drex planned on taking him for a swim later, there was no way he'd have risked sneaking off on his own. Covering a groan at the turn of events, the boy stood, scratched at his arms and went to help. They had him out fetching water first, which he did without complaint. Then, he was stacking firewood with Se'cech.

Se'cech grunted and pointed to the door of their hut. Apparently, they had gathered enough and Kaden would be needed to help indoors now.

When Kade entered the hut a minute later he was scratching absent-mindedly at his arms; the bark on the wood had been rough after all. Nothing he couldn't deal with. He paused by the front door to splash his arms in water, noticing there were a few tiny weals forming. He frowned and dried off his forearms on his shirt front.

Conversation over dinner was enjoyable. These particular Ha'en-Shin might be hard-ass and a bit rough around the edges, but they were nice enough and Kaden enjoyed their company. When they weren't ordering him around that was… Anyway, food never failed to brighten his mood and now was no exception. When he'd had his fill he stood and at Drex's silent request started to help clear the table.

He dried the dishes in silence. There wasn't much room for conversation while their droid was busy translating for Drex and the others.

Ngakam had noticed Kaden had been scratching during their meal, and now that he had a chance to get a closer look, he was a bit perplexed at what he saw. He took the boy's arm and pulled up the sleeve to double-check.

"Hey, man. Back off," Kaden replied, pulling his arm from the man's grip.

The exchange had not at all been heated, yet it was enough to have J7LI hurrying over. "Ngakam asks how you got that rash and how long it's been there." she translated.

Kaden scratched at his arms again. "It's just from the bark on the wood," he said dismissively, pulling his sleeve down over the weal-covered skin. It was quite red now and, although he didn't want to admit to it, very itchy.

Drex had gone outside to help Se'cech feed and water the animals one last time before the night. He had thus not had a chance to overhear this exchange, nor could he, of course, see the rash that had formed on Kaden's skin. He did, however, notice through their bond that something was bothering Kaden and he thought he'd better go inside to check.

"Anything the matter, padawan?" he asked, stepping up to Kaden and Ngakam.

"No," Kaden replied reflexively, only to reconsider. "It's a rash from the bark, I'd wager," was tacked on, because trying to hide things like this from Drex was near impossible.

Ngakam tutted and said something that was translated by J7LI.

"He says… oh my." J7LI looked uncomfortable for a moment before continuing. "He doesn't believe that it was caused by any kind of bark." J7LI didn't think it was necessary to add in the "Bullshit" that preceded this statement.

Drex frowned. "How bad is this rash, exactly?" he asked. "And where do you have it? Is it only on your hands or on your entire body?"

He took one of Kaden's hands and his frown deepened as he felt the raised weals on the skin.

"It's just a rash," said Kaden, exasperated. He wasn't happy with the amount of attention this was drawing. He pulled his hand away to examine it, lifted his tunic and groaned. Much to his horror, his torso and legs were also starting to break out too. It wasn't painful – in fact, he had barely noticed it – but it was itchy and the more he scratched, the itchier it got. "Uh, I…" the boy stammered, his shields dropping at the surprise; Drex would give him the hiding of his life if he was caught out in disobedience. Then again, what if this got worse?! Did he know what might have caused it? Well, no, not really. He fell silent; the less he said the less he would incriminate himself.

By now, Drex was seriously concerned. He was also becoming suspicious. Kaden was trying to hide something, that much was obvious from his stammers and sudden muteness, and it matched what Drex sensed through their bond.

"Padawan," he said mildly, "if there is something I need to know about, you'd better tell me now because I WILL find out one way or another. This needs treatment, and in order to treat it, we need information."

Kaden visibly paled at Drex's statement, which caused a concerned Heryen to rush off for something that J-7LI translated as 'cure water.' "Wait, I don't need it!" Kaden objected, but it was too late. "If it's more ant butts, I'm not touching it," he said resignedly. However, if the expression on Drex's face was anything to go by, he decided that ant asses were the least of his problems. Resigned, he threw up his hands. "I went out for a wash-off while you were gone," he admitted, scratching at his midsection. Making it sound like he'd gone for a bath was preferable to admitting that he was feeling hard done-by and had rebelled.

Ngakam growled something then pulled at Kaden's tunic.

"He says that you have to wash yourself in clean water. Your clothing, too, as it has been contaminated," J-7LI translated.

Kaden's explanation didn't quite cut it because there was sweet-water supply next to the cabin; it came from a spring that emerged a few metres uphill. It was enough for washing, if not for bathing, and it definitely didn't give anyone skin rashes. Which occurred to Drex nearly as fast as to Ngakam who was saying things that sounded quite unfriendly and that J-7LI hesitated to translate.

"What kind of wash-off are we talking about?" he inquired while Kaden started pulling off his clothes. "And where?"

"I wanted a bath. You all got to have one," Kaden said quietly. He didn't want J7LI to translate absolutely everything, she was far too efficient for her own good.

"You were going to get to have one as well," Drex said, "if you had just managed to follow your instructions. I gave them for a reason, you know. Now do as the guides tell you. They seem to know how to best deal with this. Rest assured we will talk more about this later."

He was not at all happy with Kaden's disobedience and carelessness, and it was apparent from the expression on his face and his tone of voice.

Kaden got that Drex wasn't pleased with him, and he knew why. "I didn't know you were going to allow it," he said in his defence, although it sounded lame, even to him.

Ngakam wasn't happy with the boy either. This trip was hard-going and the last thing they needed was more baggage. He refrained from stating as much, if only because Heryen chose that moment to enter.

As it turned out the salve needed to be made and applied immediately to counteract what Heryen explained was a reaction to a microorganism that lived in some of the thermal pools. The locals knew what to look for to avoid it, of course. Kaden had not.

Kaden wanted to state that it was not his fault. That there was no way he could have known about some alien bug on an alien planet! How could he?! But he knew what Drex was likely to say to that and thus remained silent.

Now that Kaden had stripped to his undershorts, the extent of the rash was clear to all who possessed sight. Heryen winced, but was pleased that they would catch it in time. She handed the jar to Kaden. "Wash, then coat your entire body in this and let it dry. Then, wash it off and change into clean clothing. It will stop the itch and prevent it from spreading. You'll be good as new tomorrow," J7LI translated for her.

Kaden nodded at the translation. The itch had been a slow onset, but fierce once it hit him. He looked to Drex; he was happy to go this alone but given that he had made the man's shit list, he decided to wait for instructions.

Drex caught on to Kaden's hesitation. "Well, go ahead and do as they told you," he said. "And I assume it would be a good idea to hurry. Before anything else, you'll need to get rid of the rash."

Kaden nodded and wordlessly followed Heryen from the hut. The walk to the pools was made in an uncomfortable silence; neither Drex, Heryen or J7LI said anything which was all the more unnerving. The salve smelled God-awful, so it had better work! Kade thought while pasting himself in it. The boy felt rock bottom. Here he was sitting on a muddy bank buck-naked while he waited for the layer of blue goop to dry so that he could wash the stuff off. Could this night get any worse!

Drex had followed Kade to the small thermal pool that the guides knew was not infected. He carried a towel and a clean set of clothes. Standing by in silence, he was waiting for Kaden to finish the procedure. Later, the boy would need to receive a lesson in washing clothes by hand since there certainly was no washing machine available!

"You don't want to hear sorry. I know," Kaden said, breaking the silence. They hadn't said a word since leaving the hut which was making Kaden feel all the worse.

"No, you're entirely right, I don't want to hear it," growled Drex. Deliberate disobedience was not made better by saying sorry when one was caught out, especially when it was obvious that Kaden had had no intention to own up unless forced to.

Kaden didn't know what else to say here in order to alleviate his discomfort, so he remained silent and simply waited until the stuff had dried enough to wash off. He smelled like a bantha's ass…

Drex handed Kaden a towel. "Dry yourself off and get dressed," he ordered. "Then you will kindly follow me to a quiet spot in the woods. We need to have a serious discussion about your behaviour."

"Master, you have to be reasonable about this, please!" the boy started to protest in earnest as he hastily dried himself off with the towel. "We don't need a serious discussion. I swear to the Force this will never happen again. I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear that but I am. I've suffered enough, please believe me," he babbled in order to save his backside.

"You needed entirely too many warnings, and still you disobeyed me outright and tried to keep this from me," Drex said very calmly and very definitely. "And I'd take any bet you wouldn't have told me about your rash on your own, capitalizing on the fact that I couldn't see it. No, padawan. We are going to have a serious discussion, and it's not going to be fun for you. This is a mission, and you know my stand on misbehaviour during a mission."

Drex held out Kaden's clothes for him to get dressed in. "You can wash the other ones later," he said. "By hand. The better a job you do, the less it will itch."

"Wait. Hang on a minute," Kaden held up his hands, dropping his clean undershirt in the process. If Drex nailed him with taking advantage of his blindness he was truly in for it. "I wasn't going to tell you that I left the hut, no. And I wasn't planning on bothering you with some stupid rash either; it was just a rash, no big deal. I didn't intentionally hide it from you, though. You can't nail me with that one." His tone went from statement to question at that last part, because as much as he felt this was all terribly unfair, he had disobeyed. What Kaden was more upset about here was the fact that he'd been caught out and Drex was disappointed in him.

"Well, I assume you didn't intentionally develop a rash that you were going to hide from me," Drex replied. "It just happened and came on top of the other things you were planning on hiding from me. And you know there's no excuse for that. For any of it. Now finish getting dressed."

Kaden huffed and hopped around with one leg in his trousers. It wasn't easy pulling on pants after a rough towel dry and whilst standing on uneven ground. "Look, you're right to punish me for disobeying you. I understand that, but can't it wait?" He pulled his shirt over his head which muffled his words. "This trip is hard enough on me as it is."

"Yes, and it will be hard for several more days," Drex replied unsympathetically. "You have to learn to deal with hardship. You are training to become a Jedi, after all. Do you think this isn't hard on me? Think again." He bowed to Heryen and had J-7LI tell her that they needed some time to themselves and would be back later. Then he led Kaden into the woods, away from the hut, down the path he and the guides had taken earlier. He stopped at the first clearing. Reaching out with his senses, he noticed that the last storm had brought down an old tree whose thick trunk was lying at the edge of a pool.

"Bare your bottom and lie over that trunk," he instructed Kaden. For once, he was not going to take his padawan across his knees although he doubted that Kaden would find much to thank him for. Drex typically didn't use implements that had to be wielded from a distance because from someone who was unable to see his target, they required a lot of focus; but very occasionally, when he felt the situation warranted it, he made an exception, and today was one of those occasions.

Kade looked from his master to the fallen tree, and then back again. He had yet to say a word. What could he say? Anything he did say would only make it worse. In fact, he knew from experience that bucking the man's authority over punishment would not buy him any favours – to the contrary! With that in mind, and without taking his eyes off Drex, Kaden unbuttoned his pants and pulled them to his knees. Drex had brought him clean undershorts so those came down too. He eyed the scratchy bark on the tree trunk and thanked the Force that the front of his tunic was long enough to keep his junk from being mashed. The back was also long and covered his naked rear end which he guessed was not going to remain so for long, as much as he wished it would. If one positive thing could be pulled from this nightmare, it was the fact that Drex wouldn't bother having him assume this position if he were taking him across his knees. This was a far more dignified method, if dignity were at all possible when you willingly bared your own bottom and bent over to have it beat. He was fourteen years old, for crying out loud. How was it that he managed to find himself in this position at all! He wriggled around trying to get comfortable. It wasn't going to happen, so he focused on watching Drex. He had no idea what the man was planning to use on him, but he hoped fervently it wasn't going to be his belt.

Drex moved over to a cluster of bushes and ran his hands along their branches. On one bush, they were particularly smooth and springy. He took his knife, cut off a solid branch and carefully removed all leaves and buds.

While Drex was busy cutting down half the tree, Kaden watched on in silent horror. His master had never done this to him before. Not ever. He opened his mouth to protest, but Drex chose that moment to finish with his task. Kaden went wide-eyed at seeing the horrid thing. Surely he wasn't serious and this was just a scare tactic! Yes, that was it! Drex was just trying to scare him; it was working, too!

When Drex rested his left hand on Kaden's back, he discovered that the boy's tunic was hanging down. "You know better than that, padawan," he said, bringing the switch down across the backs of Kaden's thighs. "Bare your bottom properly."

Kaden let out a yelp as the switch connected with the back of his thighs. Holy shit, holy, holy shit! That had really hurt and the boy would have sprung up had Drex not been holding him down. His hand immediately went to the thin welt that was pulsing to life. Then, just as fast, he pulled his tunic up at the back. He didn't want another smack like that but neither did he think it would feel much better on his bare bottom.

"Wait!" he panicked, twisting to face Drex. "I will never disobey you ever again. Why can't you just trust me!" he started to ramble because apparently, he'd momentarily lost his mind attempting to leave the hut against orders. He knew what would happen if he was caught although at the time he'd hoped to get away with it, which he also knew was completely unacceptable.

"Among other things, because you made the same promise to me no more than a few days ago and it didn't take you long to break it," said Drex grimly. Focussing on his sense of the Force in order not to miss his target, he raised the switch again and brought it down across Kaden's bottom deftly. "You need to change your attitude," he told his hapless padawan. "When there is hard work to be done, then that's the way it is and you will not shirk away from it or allow yourself to whine, complain and become frustrated." Another stroke followed. "And I won't even start explaining to you how unacceptable it is to disobey a direct order because you know it perfectly well," he continued, underlining this message with two more solid strokes. "Just as unacceptable as trying to keep this from me," he added and completed the first half dozen with a particularly enthusiastic stroke to the undercurve of Kaden's bottom, all the while keeping him down firmly with his left hand.

This really fucking stung, it stung like nothing else! Kaden had never been smacked with a switch before. Sure, his Kushiban creche master, K'Mi, had used her stick on him before, but it was more of a thudding ache. This was in a league all of its own. It created a burning welt that stung with such urgency that it had the padawan practically bouncing on the spot. "AHHHHowwchh!" he bellowed loudly enough to scatter some birds from their perch in the tree above. Kaden didn't think he could take much more of this. The thing was horrible, he'd never sit down again! "No more! I've learned, I've LEARNED!" he half cried, half begged, not caring how pathetic he sounded as long as it stopped Drex from nailing him with that hideous thing again.

Unfortunately for Kaden, Drex had come to the conclusion that lenience did not work well with him. If he stopped now, he would have him whining and giving in to his frustrations again in no time. Therefore, unperturbed by his padawan's pleas, he continued to bring the switch down slowly and methodically, giving Kaden just enough time to feel the impact of each stroke. He had had quite intimate experiences with switches himself because his master had considered them her weapon of choice for punishing serious transgressions during missions; thus, although he had used them rarely with his own apprentices, he had a rather clear idea what he was doing.

The sounds emanating from the boy were inhuman! This was hurting him, it really was. He bellowed, smacked his fists into the log, and after another two, started to cry. He no longer cared about looking manly because as far as he was concerned, it was now every padawan for themselves. He was doing everything in his power to contort himself so that the next lick either missed, or Drex took pity on him and stopped.

Drex, however, gave Kaden a full fourteen licks, and he did not stop there. Dropping the now rather well-worn switch, he raised his hand and brought it down onto his padawan's welted bottom, full force. "Under no account," he said grimly, "do I want a repeat performance." And proceeded to continue the punishment with his hand, in slow and extremely forceful swats.

By the time that last smack cut into his backside Kaden was wailing like a toddler. He made to get up but Drex had his hand on his back, holding him in place. This only made him cry louder because apparently, and despite his pain, Drex thought he needed more. The boy practically squealed when that first smack connected, and it was all he could do not to start thrashing around. Luckily for him Drex had him pinned down and therefore he wasn't able to make this any worse on himself by attempting to make a run for it, which he very well may have done… Unable to beg for a reprieve the boy ceased his struggling, fell limp and wailed. He'd never been given such a hiding before, but then again, neither had he pulled something like this on a mission. He wasn't going to do it again, not ever!

Drex gave Kaden around thirty hard swats, wanting to make very, very sure that the punishment sunk in. Only then did he finally release his hold on the boy, shaking his hand which had become rather hot to the touch, but doubtlessly not as hot as Kaden's bottom. "You may get up, padawan," he said calmly. But if Kaden expected to be given some time to hide and lick his wounds, he would soon find out that during a mission, such things were not always possible. Just as Drex had forced Kaden to continue their weapons investigation with Eeth and Raven, months ago, right after an impressive hiding with Eeth's paddle, he was going to force him to carry on right now because he wanted their guides to see that Kaden had been properly punished. Their guides' resentment had not escaped him; he did not want them to start thinking of their "passengers" as an undue burden.

When Drex was through with him, Kade was a hot mess. His voice was hoarse from all his wailing and his face was covered in snot, tears and dirt from rubbing his eyes. He stumbled to his feet, desperate to rub his backside, but the pain in his ass was such that no amount of rubbing was going to help. Not caring how pathetic a sight he presented, Kaden turned to face his master, gaze locked on the man's boots. He couldn't speak yet, he was too busy bawling, but he was making an effort to pull himself together.

Drex offered Kaden a handkerchief and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Clean yourself up a little," he instructed gently. "Then we need to go back. And I'm entirely aware you don't feel like going back, at least not yet, but I'm afraid that's irrelevant, so you needn't point it out." There would be a time to provide comfort; later, during their evening meditation and after some healing. But not quite yet.

The handkerchief was accepted without comment, and Kade blew his nose loudly in between sobs. What he didn't anticipate, though, was having to return without a chance to pull himself together. Thankfully for him, he'd learned that protesting this sort of thing rarely got him anything other than a sorer ass, and right now the padawan couldn't imagine anything worse. He was still crying as he pulled up his undershorts, the fabric scratching against the welts causing a hiss of pain. He could feel each lick distinctly through the material, not that he could do much about it; rubbing just made it ten times worse! Kaden had to content himself with small mercies here; he was no longer itchy! The pain radiating from his ass was seeing to that, making sure that it had his full and undivided attention.

The trip back was made in silence. Kaden was walking stiffly but keeping up. He wasn't angry at his master for handing him his ass, but he wasn't pleased at his situation either. He stopped outside their hut door, not wanting to go in. It was obvious by his stiff gait and red-rimmed eyes that Drex had punished him, and it was embarrassing.

Drex knew that it was embarrassing, but that, quite honestly, was one of the points. The other one was for Kaden to be seen by the guides in his current state, and therefore Drex was not going to allow his padawan to stall. He opened the door and pushed Kaden inside ahead of him. The guards were all there, busy making dinner and setting the table. Drex could sense them pause briefly in their activities as they entered; and then he thought he sensed approval although none of them commented.

"Dinner will be in five minutes," Heryen said, and J-7LI translated.

"Thank you very much," replied Drex. "I'm sorry we couldn't help. My padawan and I will clean up afterwards."

Kaden would have more cleaning to do after that; his itchy uniform was already stuffed into a bucket that was standing next to his bunk.

Kaden kept his eyes fixed on the floor, the wall, the windowsill, the low table they used to eat from… Anywhere but at the guides, all of whom had turned to face them upon their entry. He didn't want them to see him like this, it was humiliating, but neither did he have a choice. His face heated with embarrassment, but apart from that he managed to maintain what little was left of his dignity.

He walked stiffly to his bunk and pulled off his tunic. The rash had all but gone thanks to the quick work by their guides. However, the smell of his skin, courtesy of the ointment, was not the most pleasant, at least to his human senses. He wrinkled his nose, tossed his tunic on the bed, pulled his data pad from his pack and knelt to wait. There was no way he was sitting unless he was told to, neither did he feel particularly sociable at the moment. He wanted to sulk despite knowing he'd gotten no more than he deserved.

Drex came after Kaden and frowned down on him. "Stop sulking," he said quietly. "And come help with setting the table. You might feel hard done-by, but I assure you it can always get worse." Kaden urgently needed to learn to pull himself together, and Drex thought this was an excellent opportunity.

Worse? He didn't think it could, then again, neither was he stupid enough to enter such a debate. Wordlessly —and funnily enough, still sulking— he rose stiffly, visibly wincing as he did so, and tossed his datapad aside. He helped carry plates and small bowls of different sauces to the table and then helped to set out some knives and forks. He wished he didn't have to sit, but to stand would simply draw more attention to the fact that he'd had his ass handed to him.

Drex actually didn't care whether his padawan sat or stood. He still had a while to go before Drex was going to allow him a generous amount of bacta. If he learned nothing else from this, then he would at least realize that doing chores on a very sore bottom was a lot worse than simply doing chores.

The chores were indeed uncomfortable. Kaden's ass had its very own heartbeat and was far, far from forgiving him despite the time that had passed. Initially he attempted to kneel at their low set table like everyone else, yeah… Not happening. He squirmed around so much that eventually he gave up any pretense of acting like nothing had happened and simply stood, bowl in hand. Despite the lively banter, Kaden barely spoke two words during dinner, and this trend did not change as they cleaned up the dishes.

When they were done, Heryen gave Kaden a washboard, a bucket and some soap. There was a small spring behind the hut from which he could fill the bucket. "Well, get to work, padawan," Drex told him. "And remember, you will eventually have to wear these clothes."

"Fine," Kaden replied quietly. He was doing his best to keep his tone civil but his throbbing ass was seeing to it that this remained difficult. He followed Heryen towards the spring behind their hut while Drex went to lend Se'cech a hand with replenishing the hut's firewood supply as every crew did before they left.

Heryen set the jar of stinky ointment down, placed a hand on Kaden's shoulder briefly, said something and then stood, leaving him to his task. "Your master does what is best for you, don't waste the lesson, learn from it," J-7LI translated Heryen's words.

No matter how much Kaden wanted to retort, he did not. Heryen was right even if she did not know the full story. Drex was guiding him towards his goal of knighthood and his chosen life with the Jedi Order, and he ought to be grateful. Unfortunately, those feelings were hard for his pride and ego to allow right now, especially as his discomfort was making his task harder. Not to mention the fact that the itchy water trapped in his tunic was irritating his hands all over again which, he guessed, was the reason Heryen had left the jar.

"Still sulking?" Ngakam questioned when Heryen entered the hut.

The woman smiled almost imperceptivity and nodded. "He's young. Give him some time and don't be so hard on him," she scolded him, only to be met with a dismissive expression. Ngakam had appreciated the way Drex handled the boy and in his opinion, it had been deserved. He also agreed with Drex; Kaden needed to pull himself together before his mood began to affect the group.

Drex left Kaden to his task. When he was done and had come indoors, Drex called him over to his bunk.

"Lie down and bare your bottom," he said. "I will help you with the worst of the pain. Then, we'll meditate. And I tell you now, once and for all, stop sulking. If I hear another complaint from you about any job you're asked to do, whether it be easy or hard on you, I will send you to cut another switch. You may trust me not to burden you with more tasks than you can manage; and those that you can manage, you will do."

While he had talked, he had unscrewed a jar of bacta, waiting for Kaden to comply with his instructions.

"Anyone would sulk if they were in my boat," Kaden said, speaking for the first time since leaving the forest. He knew his master's response was more than justified, so when he was threatened with the consequences of further complaints, he closed his eyes and tried to pull himself out of the pity spiral. He could not.

"The truth is, padawan," said Drex, "you don't have the slightest idea what real hardship means. You are young, strong and healthy. You can see, you can hear, you have full use of your limbs and brain. You are in no danger, you have clean water and plenty of food. A little gratitude for what you've got, instead of indulging in self-pity, would not go amiss. I know I'm not being particularly tolerant or compassionate right now, but that's because I can't help but feel that each of our group would have more cause for complaint than you. Including the guides who are still busy working."

Kaden didn't think it was possible to feel any worse than he already did, but as Drex pointed out his failures, he was willing to stand corrected. "I know. I'm sorry! I'm doing what's asked of me physically, but, well hell, it's not easy on me either." The truth was that Kaden had a tendency to be a little lazy, a trait that was not befitting of any Jedi, he knew. He winced as the bacta started to work on the nastier of his welts but did not complain; this mission was teaching him more than he knew, and it wouldn't be until much later that he realised that.

"That's why I'm asking you to pull yourself together," said Drex, providing what healing he was capable of so Kaden would be able to sleep. There would be a lingering sting, however, for at least one or two more days, and that was only for the better, he thought. "There would be no need for you to pull yourself together if this was easy on you," Drex continued while he worked. "I know I'm asking a lot. But I'm definitely not asking for more than you're capable of, you may trust me on that."

Kaden didn't quite know what to say to that. He knew Drex was right and he also knew that he would never be given more than he could deal with. Still, he was finding this lesson hard.

His ass still hurt, but not unbearably so, hence he was able to sit on his heels to meditate. Their meditation went a ways to helping the boy pull himself together and by the time Drex called it to an end, he was feeling far less uptight and more in control of himself. He shifted uncomfortably for the umpteenth time, but did not make to rise.

"You may stop now," Drex said softly. "Or, if you think that you need to meditate some more to get your temper under control, we may continue. I'll leave it up to you."

"I'm under control," Kaden said, wriggling on his heels again; his backside no longer felt like it had its own heartbeat, but Force be damned if Drex had not given him the whipping of his young life because despite his ministrations he could still feel it the next day. Okay, so not nearly as badly as before, but still!

Much to his horror the aftermath of his encounter with the "Dark Side" of Drex, as he'd come to call it if only to himself, left an impression on the boy in more ways than one. Firstly, the sting lasted a full two days afterwards. Secondly, his behaviour improved out of sight. He did what he was told, when he was told without backtalk or attitude. Drex was quite impressed with this change of attitude and, he felt, so were their guides. Needless to say, it made all their lives much easier. This part of their mission was seriously taxing Drex's strength and as much as he tried not to show it, he was glad to be able to rely on Kaden to help, rather than having to constantly push the boy and rein in his temper.

"You did a good job today, and those last days," he told Kaden one night during their last stop before they reached the coast. They had made it across the hills and were now sitting on a small clearing near their hut where they had meditated. It was impossible to see the sea from here because the forest was too dense but Drex thought he could already feel a gentle breeze. Their whole trip today had led downwards, on dry and solid tracks, which had made the whole affair rather less exhausting than their upward journey. Still, it had been hard work and Kaden had helped without being asked to and without complaint.

Kaden paused in his ministrations (he had been kneading out a knot in his right shoulder blade) and smiled at Drex. The praise gave him a sense of accomplishment. Their journey had been hard going and they had both made it, even if he had needed to be threatened with dire consequences to begin with. "Thanks. How are you holding up?" he asked. Kaden wasn't very good at accepting praise as it always made him feel a bit awkward, even though he did enjoy receiving it.

Drex smiled a little wryly. "Not as well as I might have five or ten years ago," he admitted. "But I managed. I hope the next leg of our journey will be a little easier. I'm not sure it will, though. And therefore, it's good to know that I can count on you to help." He had hesitated at first to make the commitment of taking on another padawan, due to his age; but now he felt confident that Kaden and he would manage. As a team.

"Course," Kaden replied, putting his arm around the man's shoulder in a brief, comradely gesture. He was doing his best to make up for the way this had started. That didn't mean he liked the work, though; he most definitely did not. He had simply learned to suck it up, do his duty and deal. There was also an element of protectiveness he felt towards his master now. Drex was more than capable but he was also not as young as he once was. This was something that hadn't occurred to Kade at first; to him, his master had seemed invincible and struggled with nothing! It was a misconception many padawans had of their masters; they were Jedi masters, after all, so it was easy to view them as indestructible. He sucked in a lungful of air and swore that he tasted a hint of salt. They were due to arrive at the cove tomorrow around midday and he was looking forward to the change of pace.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Thanks for all the kind and extensive reviews! For those of you who think Kaden has been punished enough or even more than enough: Things are going to take an upward turn for the poor boy now. ;) And thanks for the compliments about the world building and the speed of writing. The worlds are actually our own invention; none of this is SW canon. The speed of writing is due to the fact that we're editing pre-written material that is the result of years of online role-playing. So, we're not writing this from scratch but we're investing quite a bit of work into turning our role-playing into readable stories. We're glad to have found some readers who enjoy them and give us feedback. It encourages us to go on!

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The cove was unlike anything Kaden had seen outside of a holovid before. It was huge, dotted with jetties, docks and markets. The place was bustling with life and everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. Kaden was watching Heryen, Ngakam and Drex converse with some people who they knew had space to take the two Jedi to Reish'syh while he and Se'cech began the arduous task of unhitching the Hra'ersh and tending to them. By now the boy was used to this. His hands had developed callouses from fastening and unfastening the straps, and it was not as hard as it had first felt. He had gotten faster, too, something Se'cech had mentioned that morning.

"So, we going to Reish'syh?" he asked Drex from beneath the second team as he freed the last buckle. He'd sensed the man approach although could not see him for the bulky form of the animal blocking his view.

"Yes. I cleared it up with Tiis and Devra, and they in turn communicated to the Ha'en-Shin that I was needed somewhere and they had flown us out," replied Drex, pocketing his comm. "Luckily, the Ha'en-Shin are prepared to think only the best of the wise blind man, so I think it's going to be fine. That leaves us free to explore all the coastal states on the continent of Hartoafk, including the island of Miim. Which will be our task for the remainder of this mission. I think this will be quite interesting and possibly even pleasant."

A week ago, the boy would have commented that it couldn't be much worse than what they'd just endured in reaching the port. However, Drex's threat to take a switch to him should he complain again really had stuck, so he simply nodded and continued with his work.

A couple of hours later they were saying farewell to their guides and set to board the ship that would take them to Reish'syh's main port. Apparently the trip would take them roughly two days and, like on their trek through the mountains, they were expected to help. Thankfully, their speed would not be dependent on the weather during this leg of their trip as the ship had both engine and wind power, something that the boy was pleased to hear.

They were assigned a small, and it really was small, cabin, just big enough for two hammock-style beds and floor space for their bags. There was a porthole which, much to the boy's delight, gave him a perfect view out over the ocean. He was describing it to his blind master as they set to fixing their hammocks with the blankets supplied.

Apparently, this boat fished for a lot of their meals, and so the first task Drex was given was a hand line and a barrel. Kaden had the 'enviable' job of helping the deck hands wind up huge lengths of thick ropes. The ropes were used to secure the sails when they were not in use. Today, given the favourable conditions, the sails were up and their ship was running purely on wind power, at least for now. Kaden wiped some sweat from his brow as he finished his task and went to see how Drex had gone fishing. "Catch anything?" he asked well before he could see what was inside the man's bucket. He'd taken to doing that long ago as it helped announce he was coming should Drex not sense it, not that this happened often.

Drex grinned at Kaden. "Loads," he replied. "The sea is full of fish. Whether they are edible, I have no clue, of course. The locals will know. But we shouldn't have any shortage of food tonight. How have you been faring?"

"Alright," he replied, not willing to complain about having to spend an hour hanging up ropes that needed to be tied 'just so.' The boy shook his head. They'd been sailing for a few hours now and the constant pitch and roll was starting to make him nauseous.

… Four hours later the padawan was heaving up his lunch over the side. Some of the younger deck hands were chuckling and pointing until Drex told them to busy themselves with something else. Apparently, Kaden got sea sick. He had not complained, though, at least not yet as according to his master, this wasn't anything that couldn't be remedied. The one saving grace was that, since he was busy throwing up, he'd gotten out of the afternoon's chores.

Drex was sympathetic. He had never been seasick himself, but he could sense that Kaden was feeling rotten. The locals gave him a cup of tea that was supposed to help, but apparently it tasted so bitter to humans that Kaden threw it up immediately. Dry biscuits worked a little better, but Kaden was still miserable. In the end, Drex took pity and decided to give Kaden a hypospray. He would have prefered not to because it would make Kaden very drowsy for some time, but it was really preferable to having the poor kid hanging over the railing all the time.

When he was returning from the cabin, hypospray in hand, he overheard two young deck hands, hardly teenagers from their voices, lying behind a roll of rope and whispering mischievously to each other. He got the sense that this was directed at Kaden. Pulling back a little, he asked J-7LI: "What are they talking about?"

"They are making a bet," replied J-7LI dutifully. "About who will dare to run up to your padawan and hit a rope across his back." While the catlike species on this planet did not generally hit anyone on their bottoms due to a desire to protect their tails, their back was not exempt, and this seemed especially true for the seafaring folk as Drex had already noticed at the harbor.

"Right," said Drex calmly. He marched up to the two youngsters silently. By the time they noticed a shadow looming over them, it was too late. Drex had already picked them up by the scruff of their necks. They yelped in surprise and dismay. This kind of hold seemed to be safe, but mildly painful to the beings on this planet; Drex had noticed adults doing this when they wanted to reprimand their children, but did not want to go as far as to administer a formal punishment. Drex had witnessed several such scenes when they were with the outcasts and had asked J-7LI to describe him the details. This served him well now. He let the two whimpering miscreants dangle for a long while, then put them down. Reaching out with each of his hands, he pinched each of them under one of his armpits firmly and held the grip for a few seconds. They howled, dancing in place, until he released them, and were only too happy to take off as he shooed them away.

Nodding in satisfaction, Drex made his way to his hapless padawan. "I just saved you from a ploy by some of the youngsters, I think," he told Kaden. "Here comes your hypospray. When it starts taking effect, you'd better lie down for a while. It's going to make you sleepy."

Kaden glanced up at his master. He had thrown up so much that he had actually burst some of the blood vessels in his eyes and they were bloodshot to hell. He was trying not to look as pathetic as he felt, but losing that battle. He leaned his head away and pulled the collar from his neck, exposing the skin there so that Drex could get a clear shot with the hypo. Right now, the boy would take just about anything if it made the nausea go away. "A ploy?" he asked curiously, blinking as the hypo was administered and immediately heading for his hammock as told. "What sort of ploy?" he wanted to know. Drex had sent said youngsters packing earlier and if they had some plan to come back for him, he wanted to know about it.

"Oh, the two deckhands found it quite hilarious to find you hanging over the railing and dared each other to hit a rope across your back," Drex replied. "I think that would have been quite painful. I also think I disabused them of that idea. Come on, lie down. Are you already feeling an effect?"

Kaden frowned, and despite feeling a momentary pang of anger at hearing that, he could also understand, because on some level he was displaying weakness and that was usually not a good thing in most cultures. "Yeah, it's fast," he replied, slumping bonelessly into his hammock and wanting to kiss the person who invented that hypospray.

Five minutes later he was curled up in the hammock, his nausea was abating but he was feeling entirely depleted. "I hope it's gone by tomorrow," the boy said, pulling the blanket up over himself and peering out the porthole.

"I'm sure it will be," Drex said gently, kneeling next to Kaden's hammock and rubbing his back affectionately. "And I'm equally sure the boys didn't mean anything much by it. It was just a thoughtless dare. I sent them off running, so I think you'll be safe on that count. Can I get you anything? Water or tea? Or would you rather I left you alone?"

"No, thanks," Kade replied because he wasn't willing to add anything to the mix for now. He would need fluid soon, but right now he'd just throw it up again. Neither did he want to be left alone, or admit that he was enjoying Drex's comfort, so he kept the conversation going. "You sent them off running? What did you do?" he asked, propping himself up on his arms and instantly regretting it.

Drex shrugged. "I did that thing that the outcasts do when one of their youngsters acts up," he replied. "I picked them up by the scruff of their necks, and then I pinched their armpits. It seemed to leave enough of an impression. Better lie back down. Have I ever told you of my boat trip to Tashe on the planet of Mahura? That was a seriously rough journey…"

Hearing what Drex had done to the deckhands made Kaden feel momentarily vindicated, albeit sympathetic; he'd seen this done to Ha'en-Shin youngsters a few times during their mission and it looked as if it were the equivalent of having one's ear pinched while copping a few swats to the backside. For a moment Kaden thought about that, wondering if his master's intervention would ultimately cause him more harm than good. He doubted it, but would soon find out, he assumed. Not right now, though because right now he just wanted to hear what happened when a much younger Drex arrived on the island of Tashe. Unfortunately, it was not to be, and less than five minutes into the story the boy was out for the count, and he stayed like that for over thirteen hours. Which was exactly what Drex had hoped for when he had started telling him stories about earlier missions. As soon as Kaden was fast asleep, Drex rose and tiptoed out in order to continue helping the ship's crew; but he checked on Kaden at regular intervals.

"Did I miss dinner?" Kaden asked through a groggy haze, momentarily unsure if Drex was present or not. He felt stiff as a board and practically fell out of his hammock – and right on top of Drex who was meditating on the floor. He sighed in relief when he did not immediately feel the urge to throw up and stumbled to get his balance without taking out his master while pulling on his pants.

Drex had to scoot to the side a bit to allow room for Kaden. "Yes, it's about time for breakfast," he replied with a grin. "How are you feeling? Are you up to eating?"

"Breakfast? Gee, was that hypo meant for a bantha or what?" Kade said groggily, kneeling with a thud to the floor and, for once not caring about being manly, leant into the man's side seeking some comfort; the last few days of this trip had really been kicking his ass. His stomach let out a growl that was loud enough to make him move. "Umm, yeah, I'm pretty hungry. Meditation, then eat?" he more stated than asked, already knowing the answer as he closed his eyes. … Forty-five minutes later, the two Jedi made their way past the galley and into the mess hall where just about everyone was already seated. Kaden took his master's arm discretely, leading him to two chairs that were vacant, and sat down.

"I'm glad you're feeling a little better, Padawan," Drex said quietly as Kaden started eating. "Better take it easy today, though. It'll be hard work for your body to process the residues of the hypospray, so you'd best avoid any kind of strenuous activity or Force work. I don't want to excuse you from helping out on the ship completely, it would look strange; but maybe we can find some jobs for you to do that aren't all that physically demanding. Peeling tubers or something."

"Ug! Peeling tubers?" Kade groaned. "I mean, yes, master. I'll do what I can to help," he corrected himself quietly, because he had not forgotten what complaining would earn him. Besides, he was serious about improving his attitude. He did not want to leave all the work to Drex, that wasn't fair either.

Breakfast was a lively affair. Everyone talked amongst themselves, several conversations going on at the same time and sometimes overlapping into a group discussion or good-natured debate. Kaden joined in where he could but for the most part he was happy to sit back, eat and listen. He'd made no effort to deliberately avoid the youngsters who had plotted against him the day before, but neither did he actively seek them out, something that he regretted as they approached him several hours later, J-7LI in tow.

Kaden had been given the envious task of chipping both dead and live barnacles from the hull of their survival boats. It wasn't exactly riveting work, but it did run in line with Drex's edict to take it easy, so he did it without complaint.

"Good job. A little more elbow grease and you'll make a half-decent bottle wash," the older of the three boys said via J-7LI.

Kaden ignored them, but his knife bit in a little harder than before as he picked off another shell.

"It's okay. We understand that your breed is not very useful or strong. It's a good thing you aren't helping us with the rigging today, it's windy and well," the boy smiled, "we'd hate to see you wind up in your hammock for the rest of our trip."

Kaden just feigned a smile and continued with his work.

Seeing that they weren't going to get a rise out of him, the youngsters left to start their task. Unfortunately, it really was windy, and they were having a hard time securing the sails. Kaden was watching them from the corner of his eye. They weren't in any danger that he could sense, but they were struggling. An idea struck him. He flicked his blade shut, shoved it into his pocket and approached. "Need some help?" he asked and leapt up onto a mast crossover. He raised his hand and immediately the rope stilled so they could grab a hold of it and secure the sail.

"Whoa!" they chorused. It didn't need translating although J-7LI was fast to be on the scene as she had not strayed far. "Don't suppose you can do that with all of them?" they said, gesturing to the three flailing ropes.

"I can," Kade replied smugly, somersaulting a good 10 meters to the ground and garnering a gasp from the youngest of the three boys. "Guess my 'breed' is not as useless as you thought," the padawan stated arrogantly. He was getting satisfaction from showing off, something that he knew was not right but… Well, it felt good!

"It would have been a lot more useful, though," Drex, who had come up behind Kaden silently, said mildly, "to continue with the task you were set. Instead of showing off. What did I tell you about Force work? J-7LI, you needn't translate." This was between Kaden and him.

Kaden spun to face Drex, shock clear on his face; he had been so consumed by showing off that he had failed to notice Drex's approaching presence. The youngsters, however, noticed and they watched on silently as they went about their duties. None of them quite knew what was being said but each of them had a healthy respect for the strange, gold skinned man who had so effectively put a lid on their plans the day before. Kade straightened immediately, his shoulders racking back as he tried to hold the man's gaze. "You said to take it easy and avoid strenuous activity or Force work until the residue of the hypospray wears off."

"I did," Drex affirmed. "And you pretty much ignored my instructions. Incidentally, what does the Jedi Code say about showing off our skills in order to impress others?"

The boy lowered his gaze at that, because, well, hell, that was exactly what he had done. Granted, he had not set out to show off, it had just kind of happened. He didn't want to answer that question. Besides, Drex already knew the answer. If his tone of voice was anything to go by, though, he expected an answer or things would become a lot worse. Kade recited the Jedi code in his mind.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

"I guess as guardians of the peace, we are meant to use our powers to defend and protect, not to show off," the boy admitted, his face flushing red at having to say that aloud.

"You're guessing right," Drex replied drily. "So what would you be supposed to do next, do you think?"

By this stage Kaden wanted the ocean to open up and swallow him. He coughed, met the man's gaze and said: "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about that at the time. I'll do better." And he really did mean it. His face was now flushed pink. He was eternally grateful that J-7LI had not translated their conversation as he already felt like a scolded five-year-old.

"Good," said Drex calmly. "For a start, go back to your barnacles." He briefly clasped his hand on Kaden's shoulder.

"And I'm proud of how you managed to pull yourself together when they tried to get a rise out of you," he added in a low voice. "If you hadn't, this conversation might have gone differently. Now off you go."

"Yes, Sir," the boy replied with a sheepish grin on his face. Then, he turned to do as he was told. Truth was, he'd learned a lot about controlling himself over the last week. Drex had been correct, though, he really had had no idea what real hardship was like. Well, that was all changing during this mission. He sat with his back to the three boys who had been watching the two Jedi speak. They had not dared attempt causing trouble while the man was around; they rather waited for him to go. Unfortunately, Drex had also taken J-7LI and so any efforts to further torment the alien boy would have to be put on hold.

The rest of their morning went smoothly. Both Drex and Kaden pulled their weight and completed the tasks they were given. Surprise, surprise! By lunchtime the padawan was starving. As he had done for breakfast, he guided Drex to a chair and sat down beside him.

"Apparently, we are due to arrive by nightfall," Drex told Kaden. "We made good speed on the sails. I offered our help in unloading the freight, and it was readily accepted. In return, the captain offered to host us in his house for the night and to procure us a transport to the capital tomorrow. Tiis has already announced our imminent arrival, so we will be expected."

Kaden's first reaction was to complain at being volunteered for extra work, but he refrained. Instead, he nodded, pulled the bowl he'd been served closer and ran the scanner over their meals. "Safe," he announced to Drex and started eating; he was starving… He was always starving!

That afternoon, he was instructed to help with dinner in the galley, something he really, really did not want to do. Drex, in the meanwhile, had been asked to speak with the captain who apparently wanted to know more about the Jedi and their planet's bid for membership with the Republic.

Kaden actively went out of his way to avoid the three boys for the rest of that day. J-7LI stuck unusually close to Drex, which was actually helpful for Kaden; if he and the boys couldn't understand each other, it was far harder to be clever when trying to incite trouble.

Dinner was some sort of fish stew, the last of their fresh vegetables and some puffy grain-like filler that Kaden had never seen before but liked the taste of. He glanced sideways at Drex. The meal was unusually sloppy and with the pitch and roll of the ship, he wondered if his master would manage.

Fortunately, Drex had a lot of practice at avoiding slobbering food all over himself; that was why he usually ate rather slowly. Today, he just needed a better focus than usual.

"The captain told me you've been an asset to this trip, despite your seasickness," he said to Kaden when cut-up fruit were put on the tables for dessert. "In fact, he commended me on how we appear to raise our younglings to be helpful." He grinned at Kaden; they both knew it had been a rough ride until Kaden had managed to give that impression, but Drex was all the more pleased that his padawan had learned a lesson or two about doing the tasks he was asked to do and keeping his complaints to himself.

"He did?" Kaden questioned rhetorically while scanning their fruit. He had worked hard to curb his frustrations this past week, and the fact that he had managed to do so now under duress, well, spoke volumes for the effectiveness of his master's guidance. He'd also tried hard to focus on his duty and not on the discomfort it caused him, and it looked as if that attitude was starting to pay off.

When they arrived that evening, Kaden was put to work unloading. It wasn't particularly heavy work, but it was arduous; his human body was not a strong as that of a Ha'en-Shin boy his age. Then again, he had the Force to draw upon and he used it in order to keep pace.

Drex helped unloading the freight as well, pleased with the effort that Kaden put in. Everyone was hungry, but the cargo had to be shipped that night and the work just had to be accomplished before there was time to eat. The crates were stowed onto carriages that were drawn by an engine running on rails, a very old-fashioned means of transport. Apparently, it connected the seaport of Tinishian with the capital city of Lewry which was also at the sea, but did not have a port. According to the captain, it had beautiful beaches, though. Drex hoped that this might enable him to give Kaden an opportunity to have some fun for a change.

It was nearly nightfall by the time they finished. Finally, their cargo departed and they were free to follow the captain to his house where four small children came running out to greet him. His smiling wife emerged behind them, the curve of her belly showing that she was expecting another child.

"I brought guests," the captain told her. "They are staying overnight."

She stared at Drex and Kaden; obviously, she had not expected people from another planet to show up at her doorstep. She soon got over her surprise, though, and sent her oldest child off to buy some more fish so there was enough dinner for everyone.

It was on the tip of Kaden's tongue to ask if he could g,o too, but then he realised it wouldn't be much use if J-7LI was needed here, so he bowed and greeted the family in what he had recently learned was their native language.

The home was small but cosy. There was a fireplace that kept the whole living and common room areas warm, and upstairs were several bedrooms. Their two boys shared a room as did the two girls, which left one room free for a nursery. This was the room they offered Drex and Kaden. "Force, this is like staying at a penthouse compared to what we just went through," the boy said to Drex, smiling as J-7LI's translation drew a chuckle from the captain.

"You did well, son," J-7LI translated as the man clapped him on the back and left the room, picking up his youngest daughter and ushering the family out with him.

"He says that they'll give you some time to unpack, shower and change. They will be downstairs preparing dinner," their droid translated.

Kaden looked from his master to the two makeshift beds. One was a trundle and one was a sofa that had been pulled out into a bed. Both looked comfortable but the sofa was double the size and so he left that one for Drex. "No cooties," he commented with a hint of humour in his tone as he ran the scanner over both beds.

"Good," said Drex with a grin, shedding his robes. "I don't think there's much point in unpacking, but a shower sounds good. Do you want to go first?" He sat down on the couch and pulled off his boots. "I think I might need new ones when we're back at the Temple," he remarked, running his hands over the well-worn leather.

"Yeah, they've seen better days," the boy commented, seeing what Drex could only feel with his hands.

Fifteen minutes later Kaden emerged from the shower clad in a pair of crushed sleep pants. His hair had grown a little since leaving the Temple, giving him a slightly scruffy look when compared to his typical spiky padawan's cut. "I need a haircut," he commented wryly and shook water from his hair like a bantha might shrug off flies, sending droplets all over Drex.

"If you say so," Drex replied, smiling at him and wiping some droplets of water off his face. "It might have to wait until we're back on the starship, however. One of the other masters or one of the protocol droids might do it then. You won't want to trust my skills as a hairdresser."

Kaden had to laugh at that. "Thanks, but yeah, I'll take a raincheck on the haircut and wait for the others." He smiled because the mental picture of what he'd look like after such an encounter with his blind master had tickled him.

Dinner was mostly fish and a dish that was apparently made from mashed algae; both tasted delicious, in Drex's opinion. The captain told them that there would be a train to the capital at eight in the morning. It was a trip of little more than an hour along the coast. In fact, the country consisted of little but coast; the continent was essentially a long and narrow island surrounded by a whole archipelago of smaller islands.

The next morning the boy woke a little before Drex, or so he thought. He rolled from his bunk and, as had become his habit, made directly for his meditation mat where he waited.

Drex led Kaden through a long meditation; the day would presumably be exhausting, considering their imminent arrival at the capital of an as yet unknown people.

After a simple, but filling breakfast, the captain saw them off to the train. Drex thanked him sincerely for his hospitality, as did Kaden. It had been kind of their family to put them up for the night, after all.

Their stay in the coastal states continued along the lines of this rather promising start. People were a lot less formal than the Ha'en-Shin, and life was rather relaxed. The weather was nearly always sunny. They were told that there was a rain season once per year, but it had ended a few weeks ago. The farmers were busy growing crops on the fertile soil. Drex and Kaden were frequently invited to visit the beautiful beaches. All in all, Drex thought that they had probably made a good deal, visiting this part of the planet. They dutifully wrote reports on all the particulars of the tiny coastal states. After a while, it became clear that things were not quite as peaceful as they seemed, for many of the states were frequently at war with each other. The region was relatively poor, relying mostly on agriculture; they did possess technology, but they had to import it and not everything was accessible to average citizens. The armies were comparatively poorly equipped and therefore, the wars were usually not as devastating as they might have otherwise been, especially since they tended to end in the harvest season; but more than once, Drex noticed someone talking about relatives who had died in one of the recent wars, or Kaden's attention was drawn to demolished buildings that bore traces of shooting.

What they did not find until several weeks into their visit, however, was any trace of Force-sensitive beings. The people they met seemed to have no idea what they were talking about when Drex or Kaden asked questions. Only when they arrived at the island state of Pahada did this change. Pahada seemed to be remarkably unaffected by any of the recent wars. When Drex asked insistent questions about the reasons for this, he learned that Pahada hosted a big institution that trained youngsters to "use their instincts" in order to better handle weapons and hit their target. Apparently, children from all over the continent were tested at a relatively young age for their reflexes and "instincts", and those who showed particular promise were sent here and trained to become some kind of elite soldier, of which every single state on the continent possessed a unit. Naturally, Drex decided that they needed to see this school and learn more about the way they trained Force-sensitive children.

It took Drex no longer than two days to obtain a written permission by the island's prime minister to visit the school and observe for as long as they desired. The next morning, Drex and Kaden were driven in a fuel-powered vehicle to the coastal village of Tahanavra, at the edge of the jungle, where the school was located


	19. Chapter 19

Like Drex, Kaden had enjoyed the last few weeks. The climate had been mild, islands comfortable, and although they had not found any Force-sensitives, their investigations had been unexpectedly pleasurable. Not that their mission was about pleasure, he knew…

Tahanavara really was an island paradise! It had lush green forests, rivers that ran down from the mountains forming waterfalls and pools as they snaked towards the ocean. The coast line was littered with a diverse wildlife the likes that Kaden had never seen before. That they'd been fortunate enough to find a school for Force-sensitive beings here was just the icing on the cake as far as he was concerned.

"If this is indeed a military academy for Force-sensitive children, as I suspect," Drex told Kaden, "it is not as uncommon an occurrence as one might hope. The advantages of military uses of the Force are quite obvious. On this continent, they at least seem to neutralize each other. In any case, it might be a good idea if you could take part in some of their classes, depending on what we find."

"Sure," said Kade. "I'll take their classes. Can't be any harder than what I'm used to." Their room was basic but clean, open and airy. Kaden pulled open the huge sliding doors to reveal a small garden and balcony with steps that led off somewhere. "Whoa, can we move here? We can just tell the Temple that we quit for now," he jested upon seeing the view.

Drex just smiled at that. "Focus on the Force for a moment," he said quietly. "Can you feel it?" The place was practically buzzing with Force activity; many people were drawing on the Force, but none of them seemed to have any concept of shielding. It was not entirely unlike the Temple creche, Drex thought, only that the children here were probably older; from what he had been told, between around four and sixteen years of age.

Kaden obeyed immediately and closed his eyes. Unlike Drex, he was still learning to monitor everything around him at all times. It was becoming habitual but sometimes, if he was excited or distracted, he lapsed in this task. "Yeah, it's a bit like visiting the crèche," he commented, completely oblivious to how much his words echoed his mentor's thoughts. "Maybe you should teach a crash course on the concept of 'personal shielding'," he added, running a hand across his brow. It wasn't stinking hot here like it had been on some equatorial islands they had visited, but it was sticky and humid.

He shucked his tunic, tossed it on the bed and was about to lose his boots when a flash of colour in his peripheral vision drew his attention. Curious, he stepped outside onto the path and looked towards the trees. Nothing? Frowning, he reached out with his senses but again could sense nothing unusual. Thinking he must be losing his mind, Kade turned to enter their house when something grabbed a hold of his saber. This was one area in which Kaden excelled: his reflexes were excellent, hence he was able to not only stop his saber from being lifted, but also grab the thief. Unfortunately, he was met with an ungodly screeching noise as he held the tiny blue creature up for closer inspection. "Whoa, calm down, calm down!" he tried but he was rubbish with animals and the thing just clawed his arms in response, forcing Kaden to release the creature or risk hurting them both.

He turned to Drex who had sensed the commotion and come to investigate just as the streak of long limbs covered in blue fur vanished into the bushes. "It had no Force presence. I couldn't sense it," he reported, "and… I probably should have just let the thing go instead of hanging on to it," was added; his arms had paid for that lack of judgment. There were quite a few deep gashes and it was rather painful. "Glad I had all those hypos before we left the Temple. I think some of these might need a few stitches," he assessed. Kaden wasn't a medic by any stretch of the imagination, nor was he entirely sure Drex would be able to stitch him. The idea of stitching himself didn't really bother him that much, the problem was going to be that he'd need help. He had not done this since his first aid mission class which was months ago.

Drex ran his hands over the wounds, scanning them through the Force. "Yes, at least one of these will need stitching," he affirmed. Before he could say anything more, though, a local girl approached them cautiously in a rather sheepish manner. Like most inhabitants of the islands, her fur was thin, short, and dark brown, making her hard to spot in the woods.

Giving the impression of gathering all her courage, she inhaled and then started talking so fast that J-7LI had a hard time catching up.

"She says she is very, very sorry," said J-7LI. "She had been curious about your weapon because it felt stronger than hers, and she just wanted to have a look at it and therefore she sent her trained … Gut'cha, which seems to be an animal, to take it from you. She meant to give it back and she certainly didn't mean for her Gut'cha to hurt you. She did not think you would try to grab it because everybody here knows that this makes them aggressive. She is really, truly sorry and asks whether she can make it up to you somehow."

"Well, for a start," Drex said calmly, "she can fetch me some clean water. Kaden, sit down on the bed. I will unpack my first-aid kit and deal with the wound.

"You're sorry? And a trained 'what-now'?" Kaden asked. Her words had struck him as sincere, still, he wanted to know how they had animals trained to such a degree, and… the boy grimaced as Drex started pulling things from his medical kit. "What makes you think my saber is more powerful than your weapon, and what sort of weapons do you have?" he asked, as much from curiosity as to keep his mind off what was going on. Kaden wasn't particularly squeamish, but nor did he look forward to this. His penchant for anything sparring had meant he'd been stitched up a few times during crèche and once thanks to an unauthorised sparring match with a Nautolan boy that had landed him one hell of a memorable punishment from Drex.

Drex let the girl hold the bowl of water as he carefully cleaned Kaden's wound. He then gave his padawan an anesthetic hypospray and sat to start stitching the cuts. Despite his blindness, he had always been good at this; he had a good sense of living beings through the Force and very sensitive fingers, and he worked precisely and patiently.

Meanwhile, the as yet nameless girl told them, via J-7LI, that they were trained in the use of all kinds of weapons. She had started on sticks and slingshots, then had worked with spears, shields and a kind of dagger, and now was learning to shoot the longbow, enhancing her skill through the use of the Force. Drex asked her whether she also learned other things, besides using weapons. "Oh yes!" she said immediately. "We do a lot of sports in order to be fit, but we also have lessons in history, geography, languages, maths, physics, biology, anatomy, chemistry and so forth. All this is necessary to produce good strategists, they tell us, and also to understand how weapons work because we will get to use more complex weapons later."

"A longbow, that's cool. Wookiees have bowcasters that sound like they could be similar," Kaden said and looked down, curious to see what sort of a job his blind master was doing on his arm. Unsurprisingly, it was a rather good job and was almost painless thanks to the hypo. He wasn't particularly bothered by such things, it was more the look of it that had him turning away again. "What's your name?" he asked the girl. "I'm Kaden. I'm fourteen years old and human. This is my master, Drex Zaryth. He is blind and a Hrakian." He wasn't sure how much the locals knew about them or the purpose of their visit so he paused there for a moment, the slight sting of some antiseptic a good excuse to do so.

"I'm Susu, and I'm thirteen," the girl replied. "I'm from Maharaki." Maharaki was an island state that Drex and Kaden had not yet visited; Susu explained that Gut'cha were native to that island and her people jealously prevented their export or sale to any other place. Gut'cha were intelligent and easy to train. They could also not be sensed through the Force, so they constituted an enormous advantage in conflicts with the other island states, all of which had Force-sensitive soldiers.

"I can introduce you to Mulli, my Gut'cha," she proposed to Kaden. "I can show you how to handle him. He's normally very gentle, really. It's just very easy to inadvertently hurt them if you hold them wrong, and then they'll try to defend themselves. I can also show you my longbow if you like. Or you can come to my next lesson at the shooting range, tomorrow morning, and try for yourself."

Kaden winced as Drex started winding a thin layer of bandage around his forearm to keep the stitches from catching on everything. He met Susu with a slight smile that belied his true feelings; he didn't particularly want to meet Mulli again after she'd torn up his arm! Well, apparently that had been his own fault, thus he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. The mention of Susu's weapon, however, had his complete attention. Kade had always been fascinated by weapons, any and all weapons! And so the opportunity to see what they had here was of great interest, as was their shooting range. "I'd like to do all of that," he replied. He looked to Drex and asked: "Okay with you?"

"Sure," Drex approved. "Do all that you like, although I won't be able to send J-7LI with you all the time. Right now, I need her for my meeting with the head of the school. Be careful, though. The youngsters around here are trained to fight and might not show as much restraint as the Ha'en-Shin."

Susu was already pulling Kaden outside. She gave a shrill whistle, and ten seconds later, Mulli jumped from a tree onto her shoulder. Susu stroked his fur and talked to him in a soft voice, pointing at Kaden. Then she pulled Kaden's hand over and showed him how to stroke Mulli's fur.

Without J-7LI their communication was going to be limited, but they managed okay. Kaden understood her gestures and Susu his. He used his good arm to pet Mulli just in case she decided to have another go at him, because it was one thing to have yourself stitched up, and quite another to have the stitches torn out and done over. He focused hard on the Gut'cha but got nothing. It was like a tiny void in the living web he'd known his whole life and his first encounter with anything like this. It was unsettling.

The two made their way to a small hut where Susu invited him in and gestured towards a large rack of what Kaden considered 'antiquated,' indigenous-looking weapons. Still, he was curious. He reached out hesitantly, pausing for a moment to see if she was going to stop him. She did not, and so he pulled the longbow from the wall and began inspecting it. He did this with each weapon. The only weapon that was familiar was the slingshot. One of his friends at the temple, Gannon, had bought one of these back from a mission once and they'd had quite a lot of fun – and later trouble – testing it out. The mental picture of the smacking he'd gotten for misusing that had him shelve that one fast; Drex might be old but he could dish out one hell of an ass-kicking. The dart gun was another that he found curious. It was a hollow tube that housed a poison dart. Susu demonstrated, using a log outside and benign darts. Kaden thought this was fantastic, his accuracy impressing the girl. She wasn't bad herself, he thought, especially for someone with no real formal training. Kaden was yet to see how they trained here but he had a feeling he was going to enjoy it.

They tried out a few weapons this way, both seeming to enjoy each other's company. Two hours had passed before the padawan pointed to the returning figure of his master. He pointed to himself, then to Drex, and Susu nodded, understanding his meaning immediately. She took the lead back to the Jedis' hut, Mulli still riding on her shoulder and chittering occasionally.

"Hello, padawan," Drex said, smiling at the children. "We are going to have lunch with the head of the school now. After that, you're free to spend the afternoon with the local students and to visit their classes. If you want to make arrangements now, use J-7LI. Tonight, we're invited to a formal banquet, I'm afraid, so we'll have to meet back here at six thirty."

With the help of J-7LI, Kaden arranged to meet with Susu after their lunch. According to her, a group of students were meeting at the school obstacle course for a supervised training session. After that, they planned to spend the rest of the afternoon playing some game that apparently required the use of the Force to manoeuvre coloured balls into baskets. The catch was that whilst this was happening, another team was trying to stop you by aiming small squishy fruit that splattered on contact at the chief, who was reliant on his team to help keep him from being pummelled so he could get as many balls into the basket as he could. Kaden shrugged. It sounded like fun, so he asked permission silently across their bond, and when he was given an affirmative, he had their droid confirm that he would meet Susu at her hut after lunch. From there she could take him to the school, show him around a little and then introduce him to her friends before the session began.

Susu seemed excited, and Kaden had to admit he was looking forward to it also. Even Mulli was chittering animatedly as they parted ways. "What do you know about this person?" the padawan asked Drex as they reached the large open dining area by the beach where they were to meet the head of the school. Drex had just spent the last two hours talking to her and Kaden was interested in what he had learned.

"Their control of the Force is fairly advanced. Their control of their emotions is not. Instead of curbing their fears and anger, they foster their aggressions, which makes them very powerful and dangerous fighters," said Drex. "Be on your guard when you train with them. They do have certain limits while they're not at war, but their leeway is larger by far than what you're used to. Don't let them goad you into acting on your aggressions."

Drex's warning was met with a curt: "Yes, master," but nothing else was said. Kade knew he had trouble with this part of his training and he also knew that Drex was reminding him to be careful for a reason.

The head of school, Master Kahnina, was probably around Drex's age and still in very good physical shape. She was carrying a number of weapons on a belt she was wearing across her chest; as she arrived, she took it off and flung it across a chair next to her.

"Welcome, Padawan Kaden," she said amicably. "Master Zaryth. Sit down. Lunch will be served in a moment."

The food was good. While they ate, Master Kahnina told Kaden that he would be allowed to take part in all classes that he was interested in, except the advanced classes in firearms and explosives. Drex was free to spend his time and observe whatever he liked. There was no secrecy involved in any of the school's activities. In fact, the school had made it its policy to receive delegations from all the states who employed its graduates so that all the coastal states knew exactly how the training of their elite soldiers worked and what they studied. Drex and Kaden were just one more delegation to headmaster Kahnina, albeit an unusually exotic one.

Kaden wasn't all that interested in explosives. The mention of firearms, however, had piqued his interest. He'd always wanted a blaster, not that the Temple looked kindly upon Jedi who carried them. A lightsaber was a more civilized weapon. One could use an opponent's own momentum against them by deflecting shots using Soresu, hence retaining the Jedi's pacifist approach. Kaden wasn't sure if he agreed with that, not entirely, but for now he had no choice; Drex wasn't about to hand him a blaster unless it was absolutely necessary.

He listened to the conversation for a while, adding in a bit here and there that he thought was relevant and answering questions when they were asked. By the time lunch was finished, the boy had eaten two serves and was feeling comfortably full.

They thanked Master Kahnina for her company and made their way back to the hut where Susu was waiting for Kaden. She had changed out her previous casual looking vest for one with more pockets and hooks, all of which seemed to have a purpose, he noticed.

When they arrived at her class, all eyes turned to Kade. Well, he was used to that by now. After all, the boy knew he looked strange to them. He had J-7LI translate a greeting as apparently he had so far been greeting groups in the singular, something J-7LI had been quick to point out the first time she heard him make that mistake.

The obstacle course was fairly advanced, and the students would take it blindfolded. They started in groups of five. The aim was not only to master the course, but also to keep the other four students from doing so or at least to slow them down. So, besides climbing trees, tiptoeing across a treacherous swamp, crawling beneath thorny bushes and trying to keep their cover while doing so, the students also did their best to use Force pushes on their opponents, lift obstacles into their way or make the branch upon which they were sitting snap, forcing them to cushion their fall. Their instructor took care to prevent the worst, but none of the students made it through the obstacle course entirely unscathed. The more vicious an attack on an opponent, the more applause it tended to earn. Behavior that was entirely off-limits at the Temple was clearly encouraged here, and even necessary to succeed. Susu received the biggest applause when she had the idea of dropping a nest of stinging insects onto an opponent who was ahead of her. The instructor intervened at this point, shooting a smoke pellet onto the nest that caused the insects to calm down. But the hapless student who had only just been able to duck out of the nest's way had already been stung several times and spent the rest of the lesson pulling stingers out of his upper arms and neck. He appeared quite stoic while he did that; clearly, the students were trained to bear pain and hardship without complaint.

If anyone at the Temple saw this, they would have a conniption! Kaden thought as he watched the nest being upended onto a student and a horde of angry insects take revenge for the destruction of their home. He continued to watch on seemingly impassive, but cringing on the inside until the last student 'crawled,' yes, crawled across the line, a rather sizeable gash in his forearm.

The last group was one student short. "Would you like to have a go?" the instructor asked Kaden, helped by J-7LI. "Show us what you can do?"

The boy looked up as the instructor spoke, then he blinked at J-7LI's translation. He opened his mouth to say 'sure, why not' but then closed it again. If he were to have any hope at all of actually winning this, he'd need to draw on his aggressions. He would also need to attack others with the intent of harming to prevent them from winning, both of which he knew were against the Jedi Code, not to mention Drex would be seriously displeased. All of this and more ran through his mind in that split second, and resulted in the following translation as given by J-7LI: "He says he will participate, but that it is against the Jedi Code to use aggression to fuel Force attacks that purposefully harm another." This garnered a few laughs from the team he was to be grouped with, and it was all Kaden could do not to fry them with Force lightening on the spot. They didn't know what power was! he thought angrily. Then he remembered the mantra that Drex had forced him to meditate on ad nauseam: there is no emotion, there is peace; there is no passion, there is serenity. Kaden closed his eyes. The consequences of those times he'd failed to get his temper and emotions under control were incentive enough to have him deep breathing.

Thirty seconds passed in the blink of an eye to Kaden, but to the others it looked positively strange.

"Scared?" one of the larger girls taunted, and gave him a light shove.

Naturally J-7LI was translating this exchange.

"Scared? Nah, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate? Well, that's a story for another time," Kaden countered smoothly. Usually he just went through the motions and underneath he was a boiling mass just busting to explode. Not this time, because this time, much to his surprise, he really did feel in control. He drew his weapon, but did not ignite it and stepped up to the line. "Come on, then," he said, a little too brashly for someone in his situation, but well, Kaden never had been good at being humble.

To say that this was a difficult course was an understatement. The others were aggressive. Their abilities, although honed, seemed untamed in a way that set the boy's hair on end. Some of them were outright drawing on their anger to use the Force; their eyes even took on a slight reddish tinge. Kaden ducked, weaved, rolled, jumped, climbed and eventually was forced to draw his weapon to deflect a rock that was about to take off his head if he had not. The sight of his ignited lightsaber caused several of those around him to balk; they had never seen anything like it after all. That was the split second Kaden needed to roll out of the trap they were trying to herd him into and onto the next section.

By the time he reached the finish line, he was sporting several scratches and a few grazes. His bandage had been partially ripped off and one of his stitches had popped. He looked at his bleeding arm with a frown while wrapping the tail of the bandage to pull the skin together again. Great, Drex was gonna have to sew that up again and it would most likely not be pleasant.

The instructor gave each of them a cursory once-over but otherwise did not blink at their injuries. One girl, the one who had taunted Kaden earlier, had a large patch of fur missing from her shin. How she had gotten the injury, he didn't know but it looked horribly painful, not that she was showing it.

"Not bad for someone too afraid to attack," an averagely-built, brown-furred male commented, walking up to Kaden and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps you'll do better with our beach game."

"And perhaps his code won't let him play," came another voice. This time it was a female.

Again, Kaden had to close his eyes for a moment, but this time, it really was only a split-second. The pain in his forearm was not bad, yet neither was it conducive to keeping his temper. His hair bristled and skin prickled ever so slightly as he exhaled, releasing his anger with that breath. "I guess we'll have to wait and see. I'll need to check back in with my master before I go. I will meet you there," he told them. After offering thanks to the instructor, which garnered another round of titters, he took off for their quarters where he hoped Drex would be.

Drex had taken a tour of the vast school grounds. He had, in fact, passed by the obstacle course and garnered some impressions, but that had been before Kaden had taken part in the exercise. He had just returned to their quarters when Kaden entered.

"Everything alright, padawan?" he asked in concern, sensing that something was off.

"I'll live. But before I can go play on the beach with the others, I thought you'd want to know about this." He unwrapped the bandage and blood began to slowly flow from the popped stitch once again. Once, Kaden had tried to hide a head injury from Drex. He'd gotten into an unauthorised sparring match with a Nautolan peer who turned out to be a rather sore loser. The boy had swept his feet from under him when the match ended, sending Kaden down onto the marble floor like a tonne of bricks. He had cracked his head open, tried to get another padawan to inexpertly patch him up, and then proceeded to attempt hiding this from Drex, counting on his blindness to pull it off. He did not. What ensued was a clusterfuck of events that cumulated in an ass-kicking he'd never forget.

He took Drex's medkit from his pack and sat opposite, placing it on the man's lap. "I popped a stitch during the obstacle course, and before you ask, no, I wasn't showing off. I was trying to make it through alive. They're not exactly what the Temple would consider likely candidates to become Jedi. And I thought I had problems!"

"They would have been just as likely candidates as you and me at the age of two," Drex replied, running his hand over the wound without touching it while scanning it through the Force. "I'm sorry, I have to stitch it up again. I'll give you another analgetic." He picked up the kit and searched for the correct hypospray. "The youngsters here are trained to use their aggressions to fuel their attacks," he said, "and they have very few inhibitions. Their instructors try to make sure that no one is killed or sustains lasting damage, but that's how far it goes. They also seem to teach their students at a very early age how to use the Force in order to deal with pain." He pressed the hypospray against Kaden's arm, then stowed it away and picked up the needle. "Tell me more about the lesson," he said.

Kaden winced slightly at the hypo, it didn't hurt, but the gash had been torn open and that didn't exactly tickle. Of course he, too, was using the Force to block out the pain, although that sort of Force work was not his strong suit. He watched as Drex threaded the needle. Force, how he managed blind, the boy could only wonder. Then again, his master really was good with all that was Force-related, and his remaining senses were truly uncanny. He looked up from his arm and pondered the question. "I sensed a lot of anger, aggression, and in some, fear. Like you said they were using those emotions to fuel their attacks, making them precise and powerful. They also work as a team to weed out the strongest, then, they fight it out to the finish." Kaden went on to give a blow for blow of the lesson, and then he paused. "I was forced to pull my lightsaber to deflect a rock. It would have taken my head off had I not," was added on. He wasn't going to lie about it, but nor did he think Drex would punish him for an act of self-defence.

"Well, I'm pleased you pulled your saber for that purpose," Drex said, "because I did not count on returning to the Temple one padawan short."

He did not really think the instructor would have let it go as far as that. From what he had witnessed and what the headmaster had told him, the school purposefully exposed students to potentially lethal situations and considered the occasional injury an educational experience, but they did take care to avoid fatalities. Their students were simply too valuable to allow that to happen. In any case, Kaden had obviously used his saber in self-defense and that was entirely legitimate.

"They were taken aback by the sight of my saber. I don't think they have anything like this here." Kaden tapped his weapon with his uninjured hand. He winced slightly as Drex began tying off the stitch. He'd had to go wide as the skin was torn, but thanks to the hypo Kaden felt nothing but mild discomfort.

"No, they don't have sabers here," Drex replied. "But even without sabers, I think they are giving you a very good demonstration of what you might have turned out to be like if you hadn't been taught to keep your anger in check. Incidentally, I'm glad that you showed so much restraint when you took part in their lesson. The temptation to show them what you can do and to pay them back for their aggression must have been quite high."

"It was. I did start losing my temper but I," he paused then smiled even though it was lost on Drex, "I managed to pull it together this time. I guess all those ass-kickings and meditations you handed out work for something after all," said Kaden.

Drex smiled at Kaden's statement. It was true, the boy had grown a great deal. Soon, it would be time for him to build his own saber, not that he knew it yet.

Kaden looked back down at his arm. Drex was just dousing it in alcohol, something that, had he not been given a hypo, would have hurt considerably. He waited for the man to wrap it in a clean bandage, and then he stood and helped to sterilise the equipment. "Thanks," the boy said, shaking his arm out. With a little Force healing and bacta, it would heal quickly. "Everyone is meeting at the beach for a game. I said I'd meet them there. Can I still go?" Kaden wasn't sure if Drex would let him, given that he'd already popped his stitches once.

"Yes, but be careful," Drex replied to Kaden's question. "Don't take part in anything too vigorous, and better err on the side of caution until that wound has had a chance to heal. I know they don't take these things very seriously here, but in my opinion, it pays off to take care of your body while you're able to."

"Yes, sir," Kaden replied as he pulled on his cloak. Although he hadn't actually said anything, Drex's praise had given him a lift; he had managed to get it right and he was proud of himself for that.


	20. Chapter 20

When Kaden arrived at the beach, several of the locals from previous class came to greet him. Some were sporting fresh bandages of their own and a few had patches of orange stain on their fur that Kaden assumed was their version of bacta. They enquired about his arm which had bled quite a bit before he left and he happily showed them his master's handy work. "Drex is pretty good with this sort of thing," he boasted, because it was true.

"You know, if it wasn't for the stitches, Mullie would have given you one hell of a scar to show off, just like mine," one boy said, pointing out a broad stripe of skin where no fur grew with obvious pride. Apparently, that was the end result when you were covered in fur and gashed open. Sure, it was nothing like the battle wounds Kade had seen on some of the Temple's Jedi, Eeth Koth's chest coming to mind immediately. Still, it was impressive in its own right.

J-7LI dutifully translated the finer points of the game, and soon Kade was teamed up with Susu and four others who were tasked with attacking the chief. The 'chief' was the same boy who had goaded Kaden earlier and he immediately felt himself slip into revenge mode; this was his chance for a bit of payback. That thought didn't last long, though. Almost immediately he closed his eyes and began to count through to ten as he'd been taught. Jedi did not seek revenge and he wasn't going to ruin his good streak, especially after having pleased Drex with his restraint. In any case, such things really were starting to come a little easier to him now, which didn't mean he was without fault. The life of a Jedi was not an easy path and Kaden was far from infallible.

The others noticed how much restraint Kaden was showing, even during what was supposed to be a game but was performed in a highly competitive and aggressive way. Some accepted it as the way these "foreigners" worked, and one or two, among them Susu, were even fascinated by the concept that the Force could be used for peaceful means. They asked Kaden about this during breaks, when they were lounging around at the beach or swimming. Others, however, were fairly derisive of what they clearly considered weakness.

"Why don't you want to really show us what you can do?" Lornac, one of the tallest and most muscular boys, asked. "That toy of yours - I bet it can't hold out against my sword."

Kaden frowned. The comment about his lightsaber being a 'toy' struck a nerve and for a moment he puffed up, the hair on his neck standing on end.

"Padawan Kaden is fourteen, and far too old to be playing with toys," J-7LI interjected helpfully. She had been with Drex and Kaden for long enough now to recognise the signs of trouble.

Kaden just glared at the droid. He knew she was trying to help but, well, Force, it was in typical droid fashion and totally void of a mortal spirit. He closed his eyes for a second, and it really was only a second, then opened them again. "Perhaps." Christ, he'd said it, but he didn't believe it. 'Perhaps?' It was what Drex would have said, he guessed, and a way to placate the boy and ensure a peaceful outcome, or so he hoped. He wanted more than anything to fry Lornac's sword, to turn it into a molten pool in the sand, but the desire to prove himself was not as strong as it had once been. Actually, he was beginning to feel sympathy towards the students rather than anger.

Lornac laughed derisively. "Perhaps?" he said. "You're just chicken. I bet they teach you to run away and hide if a real fight comes your way."

"Oh, stop it," said Susu in irritation. "Their masters just don't want them to fight, and he doesn't want to get in trouble with his master. Can you blame him for that? He's not chicken. After all, he entered the obstacle course."

Lornac shrugged. "I didn't see it," he said, which was true since he was not in Susu's class. "For all I know you've been protecting him so he made it through alive."

"He doesn't need protection!" exclaimed Susu in annoyance.

"Then he should be able to prove it," said Lornac, throwing a meaningful look at Kaden's saber.

The entire time Lornac spoke, Kaden was entertaining visions of himself pulling his saber, melting the boy's feeble weapon and proving to them, once and for all, that he was neither too cowardly to fight nor did he lack the skill. Thankfully for them all, he did not. First and foremost, his master would have been seriously disappointed had he done so, and secondly, he might cause trouble should he antagonise them in return; they acted on their aggressions, after all, and were a lot less controlled then he was. This gave Kaden the boost he needed to squash the urge to fry the boy, for now.

"If you're too scared to fight, how about something else then," one of the lighter furred males spoke.

Kaden looked at the averagely-built male and had J-7LI translate his curiosity.

"We have other ways of proving ourselves, it's not all about weapons and fighting," the boy elaborated.

"Yeah, we do, but he'd be too chicken for them," said Lornac contemptuously. "Or d'you reckon he would dare to climb the cliffs or steal a bone from the wild dogs?"

"C'mon, that's unfair," said Susu. "Both of these are against the rules. He'd just get in trouble."

"You've done both and got away with it, haven't you?" said Lornac. "So have I. None of the teachers look too closely. They know we need to get tough, after all. Unlike this guy."

Kaden wasn't going to fight them. It just wasn't the Jedi way … and Drex would tan the hide clean off him if he did that. Both were good incentives, although the latter seemed more convincing to his adolescent brain. Accepting their silly dare might just kill two birds with one stone here; he'd get to prove himself, preserve his pride – the thought of losing his pride made his stomach churn – and it might just shut them up. Kaden knew, though, that Drex would not approve of his ulterior motive to placate his pride; pride leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to the Dark Side. He knew this lesson. But if he went along with their dare, he might learn a little more about their ways, too, which was their mandate, after all. He closed his eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time and took a breath.

"The tallest of them, Erez, wishes to know why you continue to close your eyes all the time. He enquires as to whether or not you have allergies or are sensitive to their atmosphere," J-7LI translated, earning a groan from Kaden. He wasn't about to admit that their taunts were getting to him, after all.

"It's a Jedi thing," he told the droid, who dutifully translated.

"A Jedi thing? What, you lack object permanence? You think if you can't see us we can't see you?" a younger girl taunted.

"Or maybe he's trying to be special like his master. You know that don't work, right? We only revere congenital blindness, not the sort that results from stupidity," said a tall, tan-furred female that J-7LI introduced as Kesh'ala.

By this stage Kaden was pinching the bridge of his nose; this wasn't getting them anywhere. Not only wasn't he learning anything, but they were starting to become increasingly aggressive in their taunts and efforts to push dares on him.

"Well, like I said, he's chicken," Lornac concluded the discussion. "He's probably seen the cliffs and is afraid he'd fall. Besides, he looks as if he's too clumsy to climb them anyway."

The cliffs were indeed difficult to climb even for the feline beings on this planet. They were about thirty meters high and rose vertically from the sea level. A fall onto the rocky shore would almost certainly be deadly unless one could cushion their fall through the Force adeptly. Which was exactly the reason for which the students were forbidden from climbing them; but as Lornac had said, it was a rule that was fairly often ignored. Most students had been dared to climb the cliffs at one point or another, and nobody would dream of refusing such a dare for fear of being singled out as a victim.

Being singled out as a victim was exactly what was happening to Kaden here. He dry-washed his face with a hand and looked up at the cliffs in the distance. Drex would probably allow him to do it supervised, but alone? Unlikely. He was able to cushion his fall adequately but this was something his master would consider a risk for risk's sake. Kade, on the other hand, saw a reason; it was going to get them off his back, and if what J-7LI translated was correct, the adults around here would turn a blind eye should they spot him. Whether Drex would, however, remained to be seen…

"I'm neither clumsy, nor am I a chicken," he ground out, allowing a little of his frustration to colour his words, and pleased that J-7LI had managed to convey his feeling in the translation.

"Prove it then!" Kesh'ala challenged.

"Yeah, prove it," someone else chimed in.

"Prove it, prove it, prove it!" the others started to chant.

"Enough already!" Kaden snapped. "FINE, you want me to prove it? I will prove it!" By this stage, the padawan had had enough. He was sick of their taunts and false accusations. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach he knew this was wrong, but for reasons only understandable to a fourteen-year-old boy, he was still going to do this.

Twenty-five minutes later, Kaden stood at the foot of the thirty-meter incline and peered up. He wasn't scared, not really. He had done stuff like this at the Temple quite often since becoming a padawan. That said, it was a freaking long way up… He spun his belt so that his saber was hanging over his butt and would not get in his way. Then, using the Force, he leapt onto the first ledge which was a good eight meters up. His feet scrambled for purchase, but he managed to stabilise himself and started to climb.

Susu whistled at Kaden's jump. The students here knew the basics of Force-enhanced jumps and running, but their control of the Force was not as precise as the Jedis' and most of them had to either make several attempts to reach that ledge or use their feline hands and feet for climbing. They were also considerably less adept at cushioning their falls than the average Jedi; on the other hand, their natural ability to fall without getting hurt was higher. In any case, if one of them fell from near the top without a fully trained adult to cushion their fall, they'd most likely be dead, and the same was true for Kaden.

Which were Drex's thoughts exactly as he arrived on the scene about ten minutes later, alerted first to his padawan's suppressed anger and then to a disturbance in the Force that told him that said padawan was in danger. He heard the other youngsters alternatively cheering Kaden or taunting him even before he reached the beach. When he did, a hush fell over the crowd of students. Drex ignored them. He reached out with his senses and immediately noticed Kaden clinging to the rocks about twenty meters above him, making his slow and tedious way upwards. Pursing his lips, Drex started climbing up the stairs leading from the beach to the clifftop, keeping his focus on Kaden all the while so he could intervene in case the boy slipped. He was not going to startle his padawan before he had reached the top, but saying that he was not happy about this would have been an understatement.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at this, Kaden had his focus firmly fixed on the climb. Thus, Drex's presence went completely unnoticed to begin with. But that did not take forever. Fuck. Drex might not want to startle the boy but when Kade detected the man standing above, he froze mid-climb. For the first time since embarking on this dare he started to concentrate on what was going on around him. Below, all was quiet apart from hushed whispers, and above, well, above he sensed that Drex was waiting for him. The boy winced as he found the next handhold and pulled himself up another meter; he was no longer in a rush to reach the top.

Drex stood at the clifftop, arms folded across his chest, and waited until his padawan had pulled himself up across the edge. Then he said, without giving Kaden a chance to speak: "March yourself to our quarters, fetch my hairbrush and come back to the beach." He pointed to the spot where the others were waiting. "Now," he said, without heat, but in a tone of voice that made clear he expected to be obeyed.

By the time Kaden reached the top, he was a little out of breath, hence he didn't immediately start trying to explain his way out of this. That was probably a good thing since, when Drex spoke, the boy knew that any response other than 'Yes, master,' and immediate compliance was probably not going to go over well. He stood there for a moment and pretended to brush sand and dirt off his tunic, and then he coughed to clear his throat. "I'll do as you say, I swear, but will you let me explain?" It was a long shot but one he was willing to risk, considering where he thought this was going to end up.

"Not now," said Drex implacably. "Go and do as I told you."

Lornac, Kesh'ala, Susu and Erez all looked up, as did the rest of the group. They weren't sure if the boy was in trouble per se. They'd all done this, after all, and most of them not with half the grace Kaden had managed.

"His master is proud," the smallest of the group observed, turning to the others and dropping his gaze when it became obvious that he'd said something stupid.

"Don't be silly, his master is pissed," said Susu, glaring at the kid. She felt sorry for Kaden. They were all perfectly familiar with pissed instructors, and it wasn't generally something they were at all keen on.

Without waiting to see whether Kaden complied, Drex turned and made his way down to the beach. Beckoning J-7LI over, he said: "Please tell them to stay put. Also inform them that their headmaster has given me the same status and the same rights as any of their teachers." This was true. Drex had, at the time, not planned to exploit this fact in any way, but given recent events, he thought it justified to change those plans. As if he had all the time in the world, which he did, he walked over to the edge of the jungle and cut two switches. While he did so, he made sure that it would be easy to spot for the youngsters at the beach what he was doing. He peeled and smoothed them down, then took them back to where the group was waiting and eyeing him with a distinct look of apprehension.

"My padawan will be with us in a moment," he said pleasantly. "Now, while we wait, would anyone care to tell me what was going on?"

Kesh'ala frowned, but otherwise did not speak as she watched the man cut two nasty looking switches. The youngest among them reflexively folded their arms, cupping their shoulders with their hands and effectively shielding their underarms. The droid's translation caused several groans but it was Erez who spoke first. "We wanted to see if he could do it," he started, only to be cut off by Kesh'ala, the oldest of their group.

"Shut up, Erez!" She stepped forward and met the blind man's sightless gaze with a confidence that belied her true feelings. "None of us were stupid enough to climb it. That your padawan did is not any of our fault," she said, her chin jutting out in what was considered an impertinent gesture even to their own people. Still, Kesh'ala knew the man was blind and she planned to make the most of that advantage.

Drex caught up on the impertinence well enough, as well as on the dishonesty. He had a rather clear idea what had happened, and he intended to put a stop to it, and to the impertinence as well. The local students needed to learn that the Jedi were neither weak nor cowards for sticking to a set of rules and expectations that was different from what they were used to. They could not be allowed to goad his padawan into behavior that would get him into trouble, and worse, put him in danger.

"Lying to me and giving me cheek?" Drex asked Kesh'ala, in a tone that was so stern that the students would have picked up on it even without J-7LI's translation. "I will have none of that. Raise your arms."

Cheek? Well, yes, that was true, Kesh'ala was being a smartass, but… "Lying, how so?" J-7LI translated, the girl wary tone coming through in her words despite her best efforts to hide it. She stepped up and eyeballed the man. "So, you'll punish me for your ward's stupidity?" she commented brashly and held out her arms, trying to appear courageous and unfazed. She didn't want this. In fact, her brave words were mostly bluster and an effort to guilt the man out of this.

Erez squinted, recoiling slightly at the sight. He'd been punished often enough to know that this was going to hurt Kesh'ala considerably. He wanted to intervene, to save his friend, but before he could work up the courage, he caught Kaden's silhouette in the distance and his attention was diverted, if only for a moment.

"Oh, my padawan is going to get his own punishment for his stupidity," Drex replied coolly. "But your claim that this is none of your fault is an obvious lie. Lying is just as unacceptable as the insolent way in which you're speaking to me."

He brought up both switches, right onto Kesh'ala's armpits, with considerable force; a lot more force, in fact, than he had sensed the Ha'en-Shin use. But then, the children whose punishment he had witnessed in and around Mashen had generally been younger and, unlike this school's students, had not been trained to deal with pain. Besides, it was essential to disabuse these youngsters of the notion that he was weak and not to be taken seriously. Therefore, he brought the two switches up ten times, and all of those strokes landed as close to Kesh'ala's armpits as he could place them because those were the most sensitive parts of her body. This was a harsh punishment by local standards, but Drex felt it necessary to leave an impression.

When he was done, he said to Kesh'ala: "Sit down. Tail behind you, legs in front of you." This was a position that was more than uncomfortable for the feline beings of this planet and after more than five minutes or so became acutely painful for them. Drex had witnessed the use of this position as a punishment by teachers at this school twice today; Kesh'ala should be familiar with it.

Turning towards the rest of the group, Drex said: "Now, would anyone care to answer my question?"

Unlike Kaden, the students were not forbidden to draw on the Force during punishment, and so when Drex began, Kesh'ala was shielding herself from the pain as best she could. Unfortunately for her, the Jedi was not going easy on her at all, and despite her best efforts, each flick of the switch elicited a hiss of pain; the last few, actual yelps. She had counted on the Jedi to be naive to their ways. Yeah, that had not worked so well, she thought as she sat, tail behind her, and rubbed at her underarms with both hands; they were burning and welts were beginning to rise.

Having witnessed that significantly sapped the bluster from the rest of their group. Kesh'ala was their eldest and the one they took their lead from and she was now sitting silently in what they all knew to be a very uncomfortable position.

"We dared him to climb it," Erez piped up. He didn't want to get switched, so he had folded his arms protectively across his chest to shield his underarms.

"We thought he was chicken because he wouldn't fight us," another added softly.

"Yeah, we fight each other all the time! He," Lornac pointed to the approaching form of Kaden who was now within earshot, "wouldn't fight us, not even a bit, so we came up with another idea for him to prove himself uncowardly. You can't punish us for that!" Had Drex not had those switches in his hand, the boy would have mouthed off a lot more. As it was, however, he tapered his temper.

By now, Kaden had slunk up silently behind his master and was waiting to hear what the conversation was about, not that he couldn't guess.

"Kaden is being raised to different standards than you are," Drex said firmly. "I expect you to respect that just as we respect your standards. For the Jedi, it is considered weakness to give in to your anger, to your pride and aggressions. If I catch Kaden fighting for any reason other than self-defense or an authorized training unit, he is punished severely. He knows my expectations, and since he has been making a real effort to meet them, he refused to fight any of you. That does not make him a coward. If you are interested in the way the Jedi fight, I will be happy to arrange a demonstration that will not cause my apprentice to violate his duties towards me." Drex thought that it would probably be best if these people saw for themselves that a saber could be an extremely effective defensive weapon and that its use required great skill. But first, he had to deal with the matter at hand.

Turning to Lornac, he said: "So you dared my padawan to climb these cliffs. Are you permitted to climb them?"

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a dare if we were, would it?" Lornac said a little sullenly, but a lot more respectfully than Kesh'ala had done.

"I thought so," replied Drex. "So you were prepared to be responsible for the death of an off-planet diplomat, were you?"

The youngsters looked at him, wide-eyed. It was clear from their expressions that they had not thought of it like that.

Lornac swallowed and stepped forward. The students had a strong sense of honor and he knew what his duty was."It was mainly my fault," he told Drex. "I goaded your apprentice into this. I thought that he was a weakling and wouldn't do it, but he isn't. If you want to punish anyone, you should punish me."

As Lornac spoke, Kesh'ala was increasingly unhappy about her circumstances. Her position was uncomfortable even for a short time as it bent the base of her tail painfully. She was drawing on the Force but she wasn't exactly an expert at such things, having focused most of her attention so far on learning to avoid and inflict injuries. Drex ignored her for the moment although he was aware of her predicament. "Is there anything you would like to add, Padawan?" he asked.

Kaden listened quietly, his gaze fixed straight ahead and trying not to look down. Did he have anything to add? Not really, still… "I guess I shouldn't have accepted the dare. It was stupid. I'll do better," he said quietly. From this angle, the cliff he'd climbed stood out. It really was a fucking long way up. He'd been stupid and reckless to attempt that without Drex's supervision, he knew. Well, he was probably going to pay for that soon enough. He tucked the brush into the back of his tunic more securely. The thing was solid and heavy and wasn't exactly comfortable where he had it stowed. Still, it was preferable to waving it around in his hand for everyone to see. He'd noticed that Susu had a fur brush not dissimilar to this in her hut. He seriously doubted anyone on this planet used a brush for the same purpose as Drex did.

"No, you shouldn't," Drex agreed, "but unfortunately you did, and you will have to bear the consequences. First, though, let me deal with Lornac." He gave a brief nod of his chin to the student in question. "Raise your arms," he ordered again. He noticed that Kesh'ala was showing real signs of distress now, since apparently the pain increased exponentially after a while. He also knew that if he allowed Kesh'ala to get up after the first signs of distress, there was a very real chance that the students would perceive this as weakness. Therefore, he ignored the older student for the time being and focussed on punishing Lornac soundly. The boy received a dozen hard strokes of the switch under each armpit since he seemed to have been the main instigator of this episode. When he was done, Drex said: "Alright. Lornac, sit down in the same position as Kesh'ala. And the rest of you can join him since you were obviously all in on this."

There were groans of dismay, but none of the students dared disobey. Reluctantly, they all sat down in the sand, stretching their legs out in front of them and their tails behind them. Kesh'ala was by now scrunching her eyes shut, breathing heavily and shivering. Drex could feel distress practically radiating off her through the Force.

Turning towards the hapless girl, Drex said: "I have yet to hear an apology."

To say that this hurt the girl was an understatement. Kesh'ala was in considerable pain, the base of his tail throbbed and it was all she could do not to jump up or roll onto her side. She didn't, though, because to do so would be to admit weakness, something that was frowned upon and would result in a loss of his status. Suffice it to say that she was forced to suck it up. When Drex addressed her, the expression on her face was almost desperate, although she tried to conceal it. "Apologise?" she scoffed, trying to maintain a tough demeanour even though she had tears streaking her face. "Fine whatever. I'm sorry," she brought out. Kesh'ala was starting to sweat, and she hoped fervently that the man would let her up before she passed out.

A year ago Kaden would have felt no sympathy for the girl. She'd gotten him in trouble, after all. However, now he did. In fact, he didn't just feel sympathy, he felt culpable also; he was a Jedi and should know better than to let himself be dragged into situations like this. Had he simply ignored them, none of this would have happened. He looked at Susu, her face displaying discomfort as she sat, and his heart went out to her. "Please, master, Susu had nothing to do with this, she actually tried to talk us out of it," he explained.

"No, I deserve to be punished just as much as the others," said Susu quickly. "Had I not wanted this, I should have fought Lornac over it. I didn't because I really wanted to see whether Kaden can do this just as much as the others. Sorry, Kaden."

Kaden didn't think about the fact that being singled out might affect Susu's status. He cocked his head to the side when she admitted to wanting to see him do this. That had come as a surprise; Kade honestly hadn't thought she had. Well, apparently he had been wrong.

Susu really was sorry but she also had no desire to be singled out as the one who had tried to stick to the rules against all others, and Drex understood as much. Better for her to be punished the same as everyone else and not lose her face in front of them.

"Alright, remain seated," he said sternly, then turned towards Kesh'ala.

Drex actually felt sorry for the girl at this point, but her apology was simply not sufficient. However, having a student pass out from pain was not on his agenda either. He grabbed Kesh'ala by the scruff of her neck and pulled her up, which was uncomfortable by itself, but under the given circumstances probably a relief for the girl. "That is not what I consider a proper apology," he said in a much more menacing tone of voice than he would ever have used on his own apprentice or on any other Jedi. "Offer one, or sit back down."

The yelp Kesh'ala let out was involuntary, as was rubbing the base of her tail. She glared at the Jedi who stood a good 30cm over her, then lowered her gaze; she didn't want to sit down again. Clearing her throat, the teen did her best to look unfazed as she spoke, only this time there was genuine sincerity both in her tone and expression. "I apologise for, for my attitude, and for lying to you. I also apologise for goading your apprentice into doing something stupid," she said. It had been like pulling teeth for the girl, but she'd managed.

"Apology accepted," said Drex, letting go of Kesh'ala's neck. "You may join the others – standing."

Turning on Kaden, he said: "Give me the hairbrush. Then bare your bottom and touch your toes. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can wrap up here." The unspoken message was that the sooner they got this over with, the shorter the ordeal would be for the other students. Drex hoped that Kaden was getting his meaning.

Kaden got his meaning but, well, far out, he didn't like it! Copping that brush was something he tried to avoid at all cost. He'd done a bad job of it this time around. The boy groaned but even as he did so, his fingers were working the clasp on his belt and unfastening his pants. He dropped his belt and saber to the ground, pulled his trousers and shorts to his knees and, with a pained expression, bent over. He didn't want the others to suffer for longer than they had to, but nor did he want to feel that brush on his bare ass. Squinting his eyes shut, he grabbed the tips of his boots in a death grip and hoped to all hope that his master wasn't hell-bent on whaling his ass into next week.

Susu, Kesh'ala and several of the others looked at Kaden as if he and the Jedi had just turned into bantha flies. They had no idea why the brown-skinned boy was assuming this position, but they did manage to guess what the brush was for. No one dared to ask questions, though. They simply stared and waited to see what would happen.

For one thing, Drex knew that punishing Kaden thoroughly in front of the other students would decrease the likelihood of them holding a grudge against him for getting them into trouble; it might also actually increase their respect of him to see that he was not treated as if he would break. For another thing, Drex was seriously displeased with the entirely unnecessary risk that Kaden had taken with his safety, even his life, and that displeasure was transmitted into the first swat that connected with the undercurve of Kaden's bottom. The swat was so loud it rang out across the beach and left a white oval mark in its wake.

Had the look of dread and closed eyes not signalled how the boy was feeling about being in this position, the hiss of pain that escaped his lips at that first swat – which had taken him by surprise – would have confirmed it. Kaden let out a gasp as he caught his breath, his left knee buckled slightly and his hands momentarily went to his shins before immediately finding the tips of his boots again. That had been a smack he'd remember for a very long time, and he suspected the next few at least would not be dissimilar. He managed to grunt and hiss his way through them but by the time Drex landed the fifth he was unable to stop the yowl that accompanied. Again his knees buckled slightly and his hands moved to his shins. This fucking hurt and it was taking all his willpower not to lose face and spring up.

Meanwhile Kesh'ala stood, arms crossed, and stared. The beings on this planet did not strike their young ones' buttocks for discipline as the risk of doing damage to their sensitive tails was too high. Apparently, the Jedi boy did not have a tail under his clothing.

Erez actually winced a little at that last swat, turning his head away for a moment; that would hurt through fur and he couldn't imagine it was at all pleasant without it.

Drex administered half a dozen swats slowly, methodically and very hard. Then he decided that the students who were watching with wide eyes had probably understood the concept. Besides, their sitting position was bound to get painful, and while that was rather the point, he did not want to drag it out unduly long, especially since there were some younger kids among them. Therefore, he changed tack, starting to bring down the hairbrush in a staccato of hard and fast swats, a lot faster than he usually spanked. This was actually hard work, but Drex was doing this for a reason, after all.

The change in pace was unexpected. Kaden let out a loud bark in response to each smack until it became one long, strangled yeowl; he simply couldn't help it. He was loath to cry in front of what were effectively his peers, but he simply couldn't stop the tears that streaked down his cheeks. Thankfully he was quite good at hiding his emotions, something he had done from a young age. What he wasn't so good at was withstanding such a smack-down while maintaining his position. By the eighth and ninth solid whack he was rocking on his toes, and by the tenth his hands had permanently moved to his knees which were buckling with each swat.

Drex ignored the change of position; as long as he still had adequate access to his target, he would work with that. One of the younger students was already whimpering with the discomfort of her position, and Drex really wanted to release the youngsters soon. So he kept up his staccato until Kaden's bottom was a dark red all over and he was positively howling. Then Drex stuck the hairbrush into his belt, his calm demeanour not betraying the strain he felt in his right arm, and said: "Get up, padawan."

Drex's order to stand was obeyed reflexively, and Kade was thankful for that conditioned response. Had he had the time to actually process that order, he'd have probably remained bent over; at least then his face would be partially hidden until he'd pulled himself together. As it was, the boy shot up like a spring, both hands going to his backside. He hissed, sniffled once, swiped his tunic sleeve across his eyes and gingerly pulled up his pants. It was hard for him to hold back the tears.

Turning to the students, Drex said again, closely followed by J-7LI's translation: "Get up." They were very glad to oblige.

"I hope I have made my point?" he asked.

There was a chorus of muttered "Yes, sir"s in the local language. It was clear that nobody wanted to get on the wrong side of Drex again.

"Good," said Drex. "I'll talk to your head of school. We'll arrange a demonstration of lightsaber combat to satisfy your curiosity. Padawan, I'll see you in our quarters in half an hour." He nodded at the group and ambled off as if he did not have a care in the world. He had purposefully not comforted Kaden in public, which the students might have found childish; nor had he taken his padawan back with him since this might look as if he wanted to protect him from the others. Leaving him with his equally punished peers, on the other hand, might create a sense of solidarity between them.

Kade wanted nothing more than to run for their hut and cry into his pillow. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen – a fact that was made clear when Drex told him to be back in half an hour. The bow Kaden offered was curt and perfunctory. The way in which he used the Force to summon his belt and saber instead of bending to pick them up, however, was planned and all-telling; he was in considerable pain.

No one said anything for a while. They just watched as the Jedi put on his belt and dusted himself off. It wasn't until Erez stepped forward, still rubbing the base of his tail, and spoke that the silence was finally broken. "That looked like it really hurt, huh?" was translated by J-7LI. The inference was rhetorical so Kaden simply nodded. His face was tear-streaked and there was just no hiding that. The same went for his stiff gate as they headed back to where they had left their equipment.

Kade wasn't the only one in discomfort; they all were to varying degrees. Most notably among the students was Kesh'ala. The girl was flitting between cupping the base of her tail and rubbing at her underarms. To a lesser extent was Lornac who was focussing almost exclusively on his underarms. Kaden could clearly sense both boys and some of the others drawing on the Force to lessen their pain. Unfortunately, he knew that this was not something he was allowed to do. What he didn't expect was for anyone to notice his lack of effort, least of all question it.

"How come you're not using the Force to alleviate your pain?" Erez asked; he was the youngest and chattiest of the group.

"Not permitted to," came the curt response. Then, when J-7LI translated enquiries as to why, the boy added: "Well, I was punished for being reckless and risking my safety, for letting my pride get in the way of my duty. It's at my master's discretion when to end my pain," he replied, thinking it obvious and not really being in the mood to chat, not that they seemed to care about this.

"What would happen if you healed yourself?" Kesh'ala asked, obviously curious and for once not sounding smug.

"For starters, I'm not that good at Force healing; I can barely cure a headache," he admitted, "and secondly, if my master found out I healed myself somehow, like used bacta or the like, he'd probably wallop me every night for a week."

This garnered a couple of gasps from the younger ones and a curt nod from Kesh'ala who had, like the others, developed a sense of respect for the Jedi and their ways. Of course Kaden didn't think Drex would hand him his ass on a platter like he had just then every night for a week, but then, they didn't need to know that.

"Look, I'm sorry," Susu said to Kaden, pulling him aside. "I knew you weren't supposed to do this. I should have fought Lornac over it. He thinks he's the strongest, but I'm much faster than him."

So far Susu had been the most caring among the locals, so despite the desire to simply run off at the first opportunity to lick his wounds, Kade made an effort to stick around and talk while they packed up the equipment. Some of the younger ones were tossing the balls around, but most simply put them in the bags, they were still too uncomfortable to be jumping around just yet. Kaden looked at the girl, again finding her fine feline features and soft voice attractive, something that made him smile despite his pain. "Don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault and I'd have felt horrible if you fought someone on my behalf. Besides, it would hardly help me earn their respect," he said quietly. They'd ventured off along to get some balls that had been overshot.

"Anyway, you impressed all of us, even though your master didn't approve," said Susu. "We didn't think you would be that courageous, or that good at climbing. How you used the Force to jump up was fantastic. None of us can do that, at least not as good as you can."

Kaden smiled at the compliment. "You're not so bad yourself. That insect trick – although not something I'd be permitted to do – was quite clever," he told her, then glanced at his watch. "I better start back, walk with me? Or do you have somewhere else to go?" Kaden asked.

Susu shook her head. "No, I'd be glad to," she replied.

While they made their way towards the main living area, she asked: "Does your master always hit your bottom when he punishes you? Or is it just because he thought you'd been VERY bad? Because he certainly seems to know how to strike people under their arms, like we do here."

"Not always," Kaden replied, flushing. "He will tag my thighs and undercurve if he wanted to really make a point; it's more sensitive there for humans," was added when she gave him a confused look. "Each master and padawan team have their own methods. There are a lot of difference species at the temple, and not all of them are spanked on their backsides for discipline. Physical correction is the most common form of discipline used among Jedi as it's a fast and effective way to stop a behaviour. We don't always have time to explain, sometimes it's literally life or death."

Kaden's gait was noticeably stiff, but his eyes were now dry, albeit red and slightly puffy. "My backside is the safest place to strike a humanoid. Most other places could cause damage. I have taken a few licks of the cane across my palms before. That made writing and saber practice pretty hard, though, which is why they don't often do that. It just so happens that this particular time my crèche master, K'Mi, had banned me from fighting for a week. I guess that was her way of ensuring that I'd stick to that restriction, at least for the first few hours. What about you, do your adults only strike your arms?"

"Yes, especially when they're seriously displeased," replied Susu. "More often, they use the position that your master made us sit in as punishment, although rarely for as long as he made Kesh'ala sit. What your master did to Lornac and Kesh'ala is only done when someone's behaviour is really over the top. Nobody is going to mess with your master after today, that's for sure!"

"No, I don't suppose they will. He can be quite, hmm, how do I put it," Kaden paused, smiling as J-7LI copied his tone and stammered, tilting her robotic head to one side waiting for him to continue. "Unyielding, when it comes to disrespect. Kesh'ala wasn't exactly doing herself any favours either."

"Kesh'ala was pretty insolent. If she behaved like that towards one of our teachers, she'd get the same amount of punishment, plus probably a stack of extra workouts. When the teachers are annoyed with someone, especially the fight instructors, they also make us swim around the bay. We all know how to swim but nobody really likes it and swimming once around the bay is hard work. I had to do it once, for arriving late for lessons twice in a row, and I was totally shattered afterwards," Susu said.

Kade let out a low whistle of appreciation. "That's some swim. I can't imagine I'd appreciate having to do that either," he commented honestly. A hand reached back, unconsciously rubbing at his backside; it still burned and all this walking was exacerbating his discomfort. The two spoke some more as they walked; and it was slow going thanks to the state of Kaden's backside. "Back," he called to Drex from their front door of their hut and turned to face Susu. "Would you like to come in for a while or is there somewhere you need to be?" he asked. He liked her company and she was fun to talk to, but at the same time he didn't want to hold her up if she had duties. Kaden understood duty well.

Susu hesitated, a slightly wary look on her face as Drex appeared in the main room of the hut. "I don't know..." she hedged. "Maybe your master needs you?"

Drex listened to J-7LI's translation and smiled in amusement at what he recognised as wariness of the strict Jedi master. "You're welcome to come in," he told her. "But only for a quarter of an hour, I'm afraid. Kaden and I are invited to a banquet tonight and we have some preparations to make." Such as providing bacta for Kaden's bottom because Drex really did not want to force him to go to a banquet unable to sit!

"Come on, I'll show you something neat," Kaden told the girl, leading her towards his pack, droid in tow. "This is a holocron," he explained, levitating the tiny object in his palm before using the Force to activate it. Immediately, a blue figure of master Flynn bowed and began a lecture on level one astrophysics. He didn't know if she'd find it interesting or not, but J-7LI was earning his keep translating.

Susu came from a planet that had only very recently discovered interplanetary spaceship travel, and that had not happened in her region of the world. Her language did not even have words for many of the concepts in the lecture, and even if it had, she would not have understood a thing as she lacked the foundations. Still, she found the device fascinating.

"Can it do something useful?" she asked, turning it around on her palm. "Like, instruct you on military strategy or... I dunno, how to build weapons?"

"I can't believe I'm about to admit this, but, astrophysics is useful, especially if you want to fly one day. Still, yeah, check this out. I think you'll like it," the boy said and suddenly sounded a lot younger than his fourteen years. He was enjoying her reactions and surprisingly, he was also eager to teach her. "This is a section that is titled Warfare and Strategy Part One: Offensive." It went on to list pages of subheadings. Kaden waited for Susu to choose one that interested her as their droid read: Air Superiority, Attrition Warfare, Bait and Bleed, Battle of Annihilation, Bellum se ipsum alet, Blitzkrieg… And so on the droid parroted until Susu held up a hand to show that something had caught her attention. Kaden activated her choice and the two settled in to listen as the image of a Clawdite Jedi morphed into something that resembled a war mount, and began the lecture.

The lecture was interspersed with question and practical exercises; Susu warmed up to the topic quickly, especially since it described a type of warfare that she was unfamiliar with.

After a while, Drex came up and said: "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Kaden and I need to get ready for the banquet. You're welcome to visit any time tomorrow, Susu."

Susu jumped up hastily, clearly in awe of the Jedi Master. "Yes, Master Zaryth," she said and crossed her arms over her chest in the local gesture of deep respect. "Bye, Kaden!"

When she had left, Drex said to Kaden: "Lie down on your bed and bare your bottom. I'm going to provide some bacta and what little healing I'm capable of. I have no idea what is going to happen during the banquet, but you might end up having to sit."

"Although I'm not exactly thrilled with you at the moment," Kaden told the man whilst unclipping his weapon and utilities, "I can't deny that it worked to earn their respect." He pulled his belt free, doing so purposely fast, the snick of leather whipping through the loops of his pants an attempt at humour, even if it was a little dark. He wanted Drex to know that he wasn't resentful, that he understood that he'd deserved it and was trying to move on.

A minute later the boy was laying on his belly, wincing as the bacta started to take effect. "You were harsh with Kesh'ala," he commented. Drex had had good reason to be, he knew, but his brusk manner was still something he wanted to talk about.

"Yes," said Drex. "I spent the whole day observing how the local students interact with each other and with their teachers. She was being insolent on purpose because she thought I would either not notice or not dare to call her to task for it. To these people, a lack of aggression is the same as weakness. I needed to show her that this is not the case. Had I tried to reason with her or showed compassion, she would have misinterpreted it and thought she could walk all over us. I don't know if you understand this, padawan, but most of what I did was done in order to get the other youngsters to leave you alone. And I think it worked. That doesn't mean that your punishment was undeserved," he added on an afterthought, thinking it better to prevent that kind of misunderstanding. "You risked your life for no good reason, and if you do that again, I will not let you out of my sight again for the remainder of this mission, not to mention the fact that you won't be sitting down for quite a while."

Kaden understood that he'd earned punishment, even though at the time he had wanted nothing more than to get out of it. He winced as Drex started coating his undercurve; it stung there! "At least by doing what you did, they'd consider the score even. And before you say it, I know it was stupid." Being kept underfoot for the rest of their mission was a dire threat also, and something he would work hard to avoid.

"Good," said Drex mildly, "because I'd hate to lose you. Let alone for something as pointless as a dare. I'm pleased, on the other hand, that you refused to fight them. Believe it or not but I would have been a lot harder on you, had you not managed to show that much self-constraint."

"Harder on me? You broke my ass," the boy guffawed, not at all placated, but at the same time understanding his master's reasoning. He rose carefully as Drex had finished and fanned his ass in an effort to dry the bacta faster. On the one hand, he wanted to be left out of their plans for this evening, he really did; but on the other, he wanted to be by his master's side. Had the man ordered him to remain at their cabin, he'd have been most put out.

"Harder on you," Drex affirmed. He rose as well and rested his hand on Kaden's shoulder. "Padawan, I'm not happy with the stunt you pulled today," he said, "but I consider it a lapse and hope that there will not be a repeat occurrence. All in all, you have grown a lot during this mission. I'm truly proud of you."

Kaden didn't say anything to that, but he did smile, which was all telling. He had done a good job and Drex was proud of him despite his failures. He smiled again as the words replayed.

It was a good thing Drex had healed him as the boy spent most of the night seated, talking to different people via J-7LI. That evening during meditation he conveyed his pleasure in hearing Drex's praise, and how he felt about their mission so far. It had gone well, he reiterated to himself as he flicked out the light and went to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

The next week was far less tense, which was mainly owed to the fact that the local students had developed a healthy respect for Drex and honestly didn't want to get Kaden in trouble. They had thought him weak before, but now they had a deeper understanding of the Jedi and their ways. Of course, Drex and Kaden had spent time both alone and in groups learning and exchanging information about each culture. The lightsaber demonstration was met with oooh's and ahhh's. Even though the padawan had kept his cool and stuck to Soresu, it was still a sight to behold for people who had never seen such weapons before.

Drex and Kaden stayed at the school until they were called back to Mashen for the conclusion of their mission. It had turned out to be the only sizable formal training institution for Force-sensitive beings on the planet, and while its goals and methods were not exactly considered desirable from a Jedi point of view, it was important to learn as much about it as possible. At its current stage, Drex did not think it posed a real threat since, in the interest of the balance of power in the region, it did teach students to exert some degree of self-restraint in the use of their powers. They were certainly not remotely comparable to the Sith. Still, in any kind of treaty about the planet's membership in the Republic, the Jedi would try to make sure that the school limited itself to what it was currently doing and did not start training Force-sensitive beings from other planets. They would also negotiate for the option of accepting children whose talents or character did not suit the school's goals at the Temple, for Headmaster Kahina had readily admitted that such children existed.

Finally, they made their way back to Mashen, first by ship, then by helicopter.

"We're going to leave this planet tomorrow morning," Drex said to Kaden as they made their way across an immaculate lawn towards their guest quarters at the outskirts of Mashen; the same quarters they had stayed in at the very beginning of their mission. "We still have a few hours left until the farewell dinner. We could make use of the time in order to start lessons in Force-enhanced running in the park. What do you say?"

"I say let's go!" Kaden replied eagerly. He was keen to start this part of his training without sneaking around.

The teams had covered a lot of ground, each having gleaned enough information to make a success of their mission. Kade thoughts about the last month and the people he'd met as they dropped off their bags and unpacked a few items. He had got to know some that he would have formed friendships with had he not been a Jedi. Susu sprang to his mind, as did Kin'sh and Yu'el. Were they playing that card game in the park now? It was about that time of day there. Kaden was lost in his thoughts for an unusually long time. When Drex moved to leave he didn't notice immediately.

"Daydreaming?" Drex asked, smiling, as he stopped in his tracks. "About our mission or about our return to the Temple? It will certainly make for a change, returning to your lessons and to your routines."

"About the mission," Kaden confirmed, catching up to where Drex was waiting. "Don't you ever wonder what the people you've met are doing, like, right now? What do you think Kenneth is doing?" he asked. Kenneth was a dwarf trader they met on an assignment to investigate the illegal weapons trade with Eeth Koth and his apprentice Raven. It had been over a year ago now, but still he often found himself pondering the strangest of things.

"Sometimes I do," Drex replied. "I have to admit I haven't been thinking about Kenneth at all since we last met him, though. I have been on so many missions, it's become hard to keep track of all the people I've dealt with. Still, some of them stay in mind; people who helped us or people I would have liked to help, but couldn't. When I was young, I often regretted not being able to make friends, but I got used to that after some time."

"I guess," said Kaden reflectively. "Right now, I don't have enough piled up to be too regretful. That will change soon enough."

They walked to the large open area where Kaden had injured his foot, ages ago. The memory of that day almost made him cringe, but he was fast to rid himself of the guilt. After all, he'd already had his ass handed to him for that error in judgement. This time he had nothing to feel guilty for; Drex had deemed him ready and was going to help him. It was all legitimate, he silently reminded himself.

"I sensed the lawnmower coming, I just didn't anticipate Nafanda's reaction," he said, and screwed up his face at the memory.

"Yes, you told me," Drex replied wryly. "Which is why I would never have let you do this without supervision, let alone with an equally unexperienced fellow padawan. I would have sensed the lawnmower AND kept Nafanda far enough away from you. None of this will be an issue now, though. I believe your Force control has improved a lot these past weeks. I'm confident that you'll be able to do this without further injuries."

Indeed, Kaden's first two attempts went well. At the third, he took his run too far and hit the fence. Drex was able to cushion the impact, but Kaden was still knocked clean onto his ass.

"That happens when you get overconfident," Drex said wryly, extending a hand to help Kaden up.

Kaden grasped the offered hand and got to his feet. "Someone moved the fence," he reasoned. The very slight smile he wore carried through into his tone as he said that. He now had a large grass stain on his left knee and hip, not that he cared about such things.

"Do you really think this would be J-7LI's idea of a joke?" Drex asked in amusement. Indeed, J-7LI was the only being in their remote vicinity; she was waiting for them back in the pavilion on top of the hill in case they ran into any locals.

"No, she lacks the necessary humour." Kaden scratched his head reflectively, dislodging a leaf as he did so. "Force ghosts, I'd wager," he settled on, because anything was preferable to admitting that he'd run into the thing.

"Hmmmm," Drex said. "I think we can safely assume that overconfidence is the more likely explanation. Try again, and slow down sooner."

"Alright, but I'm sticking with the Force ghost theory." Kaden smiled, brushed himself off once more and did as bade. The lesson was a success and he improved quickly; he had a small head start, courtesy of Brill and Nafanda, after all. Unfortunately, he had lost the opportunity to claim that this progress was due to any natural talent on his part as he had first hoped, as Drex now knew this wasn't the first time he'd tried it. Oh well, at least he didn't have any guilt hanging over his head now.

* * *

"So, how did you find this mission?" Drex asked Kaden as they ascended the starship's ramp, right after Eleena and Nafanda. "Not too boring, I hope."

"If you don't include that hideous stint across the mountains and those boys on the ship, I thought the mission was great." The boy shrugged. "Oh, and I might have learned a little, but just a little," he said jovially. He was pleased to be back with this team, all of whom were intact. He was still buzzing from their lesson on Force-enhanced running, despite hitting the fence …

"Good," said Drex. "In that case, it was probably worth waiting a little longer for your first mission and foregoing the usual conference and escort missions that are typically assigned to junior padawans. And yes, you did learn a lot."

Drex hoped that the trip back would go smoothly, without fights and rivalries. If Kaden managed to behave himself for a few more days, he had a surprise ready for the boy upon their return to the Temple.

The first day on the ship was spent recovering all round.

Tiis and Devra spent most of their time compiling and writing up reports, while the other teams either helped or concentrated on school work and training. They also told each other about their adventures – and adventures it had been, for everyone involved. Elena and Nefanda had worked in the planet's coldest regions for a long time and were pleased to be back in a climate more suited to their species, whereas Triz and Brill had been sent to seek out the Toykin and gather as much information as they could, initially with the help of Hennar and Angkat who had then set out to explore a desert species.

"Yeah, the Toykin, they were something else," Brill commented as they all sat around talking about the past weeks.

"Quite," Angkat agreed, stuffing a sandwich with some freeze dried spread that none of the others could stand to smell, least of all eat.

Kaden, for his part, mostly sat and listened. Nafanda and he had exchanged stories. The girl was pleased that his leg had healed without issue.

Brill was a lot less rigid now, as if something during this mission had activated a 'chill' switch in the boy. Sure, he was still a bit of a bureaucrat when it came to the rules, but he had a sense of peacefulness about him that had not been there to begin with.

Tiis thought that the mission had done all padawans good. Brill was a lot less stuck-up, whereas Kaden and Nafanda had gained some maturity. The three seemed to be able to get along now, anyway.

Starting on the second day, Tiis and Devra got everyone to join in writing the mission report. This mainly consisted of summarising everything they had observed with regard to the use of the Force and formal training in it. Drex and Kaden had already taken extensive notes, but they would need to distil the main information out of them and bring it into a concise and comprehensible form.

"Do you want to do the Ha'en-Shin and outcasts, or the coastal states?" Drex asked Kaden. "Whatever you pick, I'll do the other half. And then we'll switch for proofreading."

"Coastal states, it's still fresh," Kaden replied in a deadpan tone. He really didn't want to write this but then again, nor was complaining about it going to do him any good.

The two sat and tapped away on their data pads for the most of that afternoon, only stopping occasionally to stretch and – in Kaden's case – get up for glasses of water, and tea for Drex. By the time Kaden was finished and they were ready to proofread, the boy was over it. Still, he said nothing of his distaste and simply sighed as they exchanged work. The others were all doing similar. The expression on Brill's face matched his own which made him feel slightly better; he wasn't the only one who hated doing this.

Drex knew that Kaden did not feel like doing this. He was all the more pleased with the lack of complaints. Kaden had really learned something during this mission. He had gained a lot of maturity.

That evening after their meditation, Kaden met Drex with a curious expression. "Is there a specific amount of time that the Council give us before sending us on another mission, or is it possible that we get back and leave again the next day?" he asked. He had enjoyed this mission, for the most part, and was already looking forward to the next.

Drex smiled at Kaden's question. "Highly unlikely," he replied. "For a junior padawan, that is. It might happen when you're several years older than you're now. For now, you have classes to attend. This mission was exceptionally long for someone your age; normally, the Council takes care not to disrupt a junior padawan's training too much. I'd say we'll stay at the Temple for at least a full cycle, which is really for the best since you will need that time to get used to your own lightsaber. Which you will build after our return."

Kaden nodded, listening, but not really taking it in … which was why, when Drex mentioned building his own lightsaber, the boy grunted in response. It took a moment for the words to actually register. He sprang to his feet, sending the pillow on his lap to the floor in his haste. "My own lightsaber. Like as in, building my own? For real!" His eyes were like saucers and slowly a smile grew on his face that was so wide that you could see all his teeth. "Thank you, Master, you really think I'm ready, wow, I'm… I'm just…" This sort of reaction was so unlike Kaden that one could be forgiven for assuming the boy had been abducted by aliens. Then again, this really meant a lot to him. The truth was, Kaden had dreamt of this moment since junior crèche when he had held a training saber for the very first time. He remembered that day now as he stood staring at Drex with a stupid ear-to-ear smile on his face; his destiny, his dreams of becoming a great Jedi knight, it was all happening!

"Yes, I am," replied Drex, grinning at Kaden's reaction. "And I assumed you'd be happy with that. I hasten to add that your restrictions will remain unchanged for the time being, though, and I will still reserve the right to take your saber away from you if you don't stick to them. I don't mean to put a dent in your happiness; I just want to avoid misunderstandings."

"Nothing short of the word 'psych' could put a dent in my happiness right now," Kade admitted honestly. Truth be told, he hadn't expected his restrictions to be lifted when he finally got to build his lightsaber. If anything, he anticipated them increasing. That they weren't was heartening.

This truly had been a mission to remember. Not only was it Kaden's first official mission but it also preceded a large step forward in his training, both in getting to build his saber and the maturity Drex had seen him gain that allowed it.

The rest of their trip home was uneventful. Kaden spent a lot of his free time talking to the other padawans about their experience building their sabers ad nauseam, and had started reading an advanced book on the more intricate details of the circuitry; it wasn't asked of him, but the boy really did have a keen interest in everything lightsaber which extended to more than just fighting.

When they arrived at the Temple, Kaden's smile was still in full force. Not only was he going to build his lightsaber, but it also felt good to be home. He'd missed his friends here and (although he'd NEVER admit to this aloud) he was looking forward to being back in his typical routine, if only for a little while.

Shouldering his pack, he descended the ramp behind his master. The team gathered in the hangar to thank and say farewell to each other. Kaden, being a rather stoic and unemotive personality, offered his hand to Brill, the two boys exchanging a hearty back thump before parting. He did the same with Angkat. The senior padawan had spent a lot of his time coaching the three younger apprentices during their trip home. Thus, they had all grown a little fonder of each other, despite the events that brought this to pass.

"I hope to see you around," Nafanda said cheerfully, grinning at Kaden. Leaning forward, she whispered into his ear: "We still need to finish playing that game. Preferably without being caught."

"Without getting caught," he agreed, equally quietly. The truth was, after that mission Kaden wasn't sure he was able to get _anything_ past Drex. He decided to keep that thought to himself for now, though; they had just returned and would need time to get back into their routines before anything else. He hugged her briefly, and then he followed Drex from the hangar bay into the Temple. They were home.

* * *

A/N: Wow, that was a long story! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and took the time to IM or comment. We hope that everyone enjoyed this final chapter. It was fun to revisit for us and to edit and share with you guys. The next story is called 'Goyts' and involves Drex and Kaden again, but also Eeth Koth and his second padawan Raven as well as Eeth's former padawan Lakhri Tumuel and Lakhri's padawan Flynt. We're looking forward to sharing the continuing adventures of Drex, Kaden and our other characters with everyone!


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